Tsunami alert lifted after 6.6 magnitude earthquake rocks southwest Japan

TOKYO (AP) — Japan issued a tsunami warning Monday after a 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck the country’s southwest. Public warnings to stay away from coastal areas were later lifted.

The agency initially estimated the magnitude at 6.9, but later revised it downward. An official initially told reporters the reduced magnitude was 6.7, but the agency later issued a statement revising the magnitude to 6.6.

No damage was immediately reported. Residents in some coastal areas were asked to evacuate as a precaution.

A man was lightly injured in Kyushu after falling down some stairs, NHK television reported. Trains stopped at Miyazaki Station, stranding passengers.

NHK said a tsunami, estimated to be up to 1 meter (3.2 feet) high, reached land within 30 minutes of the quake. The waters detected at Miyazaki Port were 20 centimeters high, according to reports.

Tsunami advisories were issued for Miyazaki Prefecture, where the quake was centered, on the southwest island of Kyushu, as well as neighboring Kochi Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku, shortly after the earthquake. earthquake at 9:19 p.m., according to the agency. They were all called back shortly before midnight.

People have been warned to stay away from waters, including rivers. Shigeki Aoki, head of the agency, told reporters that people should watch out for landslides as well as falling objects into homes. Aftershocks are possible, especially in the next two or three days, he added.

The quake, centered at a depth of 36 kilometers (22 miles), shook a wide area on Kyushu, the southwestern main island, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The agency initially gave a depth of 30 kilometers (18.6 miles).

Images from NHK television showed smooth traffic and well-lit streets, meaning the electricity was still working. No problems were detected at the various monitoring stations of the nuclear power plants in the area.

Japan is frequently hit by earthquakes due to its location along the “Ring of Fire”, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific basin.

Experts from the meteorological agency met Monday evening to assess the link between the latest tremor and the so-called Nankai Trough earthquakesbut decided not to take any extraordinary measures at this time. The term refers to a large region considered prone to periodic major earthquakes.

An earthquake in the Nankai Trench off Shikoku in 1946 killed more than 1,300 people. The region was hit by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in August last year.