Strong earthquake hits south-west Japan
An aerial view shows the damaged Kyushu Expressway after the 7.1 magnitude earthquake
- Published
A strong 7.1 magnitude earthquake has hit south-west Japan, damaging buildings, roads and bridges.
The earthquake struck Kyushu, one of Japan's main islands, at 16:27 local time on Tuesday (7:27am UK time).
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake is considered very strong and can cause serious damage, especially near its epicentre, which is the point on the Earth's surface directly above where the earthquake begins underground.
Emergency services are helping those affected by the quake, including at a large and popular shopping mall which partially collapsed.
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- Published6 February 2023
Officials said around 300,000 people have been told to leave their homes and move to safer places.
Footage shown by Japan's national broadcaster NHK showed cracked roads and bridges with some buildings also on fire.
After the main earthquake, there have been smaller quakes called aftershocks. These can happen after a big earthquake and may cause more damage, so people are often told to stay away from unsafe buildings.
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Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Minoru Kihara, urged people to stay calm.
"We urge residents in areas where the shaking was particularly severe to pay close attention to evacuation information issued by local authorities via radio, television and the internet," he said.
Japan has many earthquakes because it sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire. This is an area around the Pacific Ocean where several of Earth's plates meet and move.
