Strong Earthquake measuring 7.1 hits southern Japan’s Kyushu

Kyushu (Japan): A powerful earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter Scale struck off Japan’s southern coast on Thursday.

According to United States Geological Survey, earthquake occurred today at 4:42 pm local time near Miyazaki, Japan.

Earlier, the Japan Meteorological Agency said the tremor was registered at a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 and was centred off the eastern coast of Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu at a depth of about 30 km (18.6 miles).

It issued a tsunami advisory, predicting waves of up to 1 metre (3.3 feet) along the southern coast of Kyushu and the nearby island of Shikoku.

The quake most strongly shook Nichinan city and nearby areas in Miyazaki prefecture on Kyushu island.

The agency said tsunami waves of up 50 centimeters (1.6 feet) were detected along parts of Kyushu’s southern coast and the nearby island of Shikoku about a half hour after the quake struck.

On Jan 1, an earthquake hits Japan’s north-central region of Noto which left more than 240 people dead