Large areas of Japan's southern island of Kyushu experienced significant disruption on July 28 after a powerful earthquake hit Kumamoto Prefecture. The preliminary magnitude-7.1 quake struck around 4:28 pm local time, with the strongest shaking near the coastal city of Uto.
JR Kyushu has suspended services, including the Kyushu Shinkansen, which connects Fukuoka, Kumamoto, and Kagoshima. The runway at Kumamoto Airport was also closed. More than 150,000 people were directed to evacuation centres, and a tsunami warning was issued for the Ariake and Yatsushiro seas, though it was lifted several hours later after no destructive tsunami occurred.
The earthquake caused roads to split, fires to break out, and sections of buildings to collapse in central Kumamoto. At least 50 people were being treated at a hospital in Hikawa. Officials have warned that strong aftershocks are possible for at least a week, with the highest risk expected over the next two to three days.