Japan activates tsunami alert after 7.1 magnitude earthquake off Kyushu island

Japan faced another strong seismic episode this Tuesday after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook the island of Kyushu, with its epicenter in Kumamoto prefecture. Following the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency activated a tsunami alert for several areas of the country's southwest coast, where waves of up to one meter in height are expected.

The tremor was recorded at 4:27 PM local time (07:27 GMT), with a hypocenter located 10 kilometers deep. The alert affects the prefectures of Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, and Miyazaki, while authorities maintain constant monitoring of the phenomenon's evolution and have asked the population to take extreme precautions.

The earthquake has caused power outages in around 40,000 homes and the temporary suspension of several railway services. For now, authorities have not reported any casualties or significant material damage, although they continue to assess the extent of the quake and have called a press conference to offer more information on the situation.

Japan is located in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the regions with the highest seismic activity on the planet. Due to this high frequency of earthquakes, the country has strict prevention measures and infrastructures designed to withstand high-intensity movements. Furthermore, the Japanese nuclear regulatory authority has confirmed that no anomalies have been detected in the nuclear power plants located in the affected area.