2016 Kumamoto earthquakes
United States Geological Survey shake map for the April 16 earthquake; a maximum Mercalli intensity scale value of 8.8 was observed just east of Kumamoto City.
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| Date | April 16, 2016 |
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| Origin time | 16:25:06 UTC |
| Magnitude | 7.0 Mw |
| Depth | 10 km |
| Epicenter | 32°46′55.2″N 130°43′33.6″E / 32.782000°N 130.726000°E |
| Areas affected | Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan |
| Foreshocks | 6.2Mw, April 14, 2016 12:26:36 (UTC), 21:26:36 (JST) |
| Casualties |
Foreshock: 9 dead, 1,108 injured |
Foreshock: 9 dead, 1,108 injured
Mainshock: 41 dead, 2,021 injured
The 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes (Japanese: 平成28年熊本地震 Hepburn: Heisei 28-nen Kumamoto jishin?) are a series of earthquakes, including a magnitude 7.0 mainshock which struck at 01:25 JST on April 16, 2016 (16:25 UTC on April 15) beneath Kumamoto City of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu Region, Japan, at a depth of about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi), and a foreshock earthquake with a magnitude 6.2 at 21:26 JST (12:26 UTC) on April 14, 2016, at a depth of about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi).
The two earthquakes killed at least 50 people and injured about 3,000 others in total. Severe damage occurred in Kumamoto and Ōita Prefectures, with numerous structures collapsing and catching fire. More than 44,000 people were evacuated from their homes due to the disaster.
Although the focus of the foreshock earthquake was 12.0 kilometres (7.5 mi) beneath Mount Kinpu to the north-northwest of Kumamoto's city center, the worst-hit area was in the eastern Kumamoto suburb of Mashiki, where the foreshock earthquake's victims perished. The earthquake was strongly felt as far north as Shimonoseki on southwestern Honshu, and as far south as the city of Kirishima in Kagoshima Prefecture. In the following hours, there were at least 11 aftershocks of at least 4.5 magnitude, one of which was a magnitude 6; more than 140 aftershocks were registered within two days. It was the first earthquake to occur on the island of Kyushu to register as a 7 on the Japan Meteorological Agency's (JMA) seismic intensity scale. On April 15, the JMA officially labelled it Heisei 28-nen Kumamoto jishin (平成28年熊本地震, "Heisei 28 Kumamoto Earthquake")–Heisei 28 being the year 2016 on the Japanese calendar.
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