A powerful earthquake struck off Japan’s southern coast on August 8, triggering a tsunami advisory. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake registered magnitude 7.1 and was centered in waters off the eastern coast of Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu at a depth of about 30 kilometres (18.6 miles). The agency said tsunami waves of up 50 centimetres (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. Earthquakes in areas with nuclear power plants have been a major concern since a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster. An earthquake on January 1 in Japan’s north-central region of Noto left more than 240 people dead.

Source: The Hindu August 09, 2024 01:54 UTC