A strong earthquake occurred in southwestern Japan and a tsunami warning was issued

A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Japan, the country’s Meteorological Agency said on Monday, urging people to stay away from coastal areas due to the threat of a tsunami.

According to the agency, a tsunami warning was issued shortly after the earthquake struck at 9:19 p.m. local time on Kyushu Island, southwest of Miyazaki Prefecture, as well as on Shikoku Island in nearby Kochi Prefecture.

The damage was not immediately reported. Residents living in some coastal areas have been told to evacuate as a precaution. NHK TV channel reports that one person was slightly injured after falling down the stairs in Kyushu. Trains at Miyazaki station were stopped, passengers were stranded.

Public broadcaster NHK TV said the tsunami, estimated to be up to 3.2 feet high, reached land 30 minutes after the quake. Waters found in Miyazaki harbor were 8 inches high.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the earthquake with a depth of 30 kilometers occurred in a large area on the southwestern main island of Kyushu.

US Geological Survey revised his assessment Downgrading from 6.9, he added that there is “no tsunami threat from this earthquake” for the United States.

The JMA, however, urged the public to stay away from coastal waters.

The agency said on social media, “Tsunami may occur multiple times. Please do not enter the sea and do not approach coastal areas.”

Japan is prone to earthquakes due to its location along the “Ring of Fire”, a volcanic arc and fault lines in the Pacific Ocean.

Footage from NHK television shows moving traffic and well-lit streets, meaning electricity is still working. Various monitoring posts for nuclear plants in the area have not detected any problems.

Meteorological agency experts met late Monday to gauge how the latest quake might be related to earthquakes in the so-called Nankai Trough.

The term refers to a large region believed to be prone to periodic strong earthquakes. In 1946, more than 1,300 people died in the Nankai Depression near Shikoku.

There was a strong earthquake in August last year It hit southern Japancausing mostly minor injuries but raising concerns about possible strong earthquakes from an underwater depression east of the coast.

Moment An earthquake in the north-central region of Japan on January 1, 2024n of Noto killed more than 240 people.

Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.