2016 Kumamoto earthquake

Kumamoto earthquake
date	April 15, 2016 (UTC)
Time	16:25:06 UTC; (01:25:06 local time , April 16 )
intensity	7 on the JMA scale
Magnitude	7.0 M W
depth	12 km
epicenter	32 ° 46 '55 " N , 130 ° 43' 34" E Coordinates: 32 ° 46 '55 " N , 130 ° 43' 34" E (12 km northwest of Kumamoto )
country	Japan
Affected places	Kumamoto Prefecture
dead	49
Injured	> 3000
	; Intensity of the earthquakes on the moment magnitude scale , values from the JMA

The 2016 Kumamoto earthquake ( Japanese 平成 28 年（2016 年）熊本地震 Heisei 28-nen (2016-nen) Kumamoto jishin ) was a series of earthquakes on the Japanese island of Kyūshū . It began with a foreshock measuring 6.2 M _w on April 14, 2016 at 21:26 local time . The epicenter was about 12 kilometers northwest of Kumamoto . 9 dead and 1,100 injured were reported in this quake. The city of Mashiki was hardest hit , but buildings collapsed or damaged in other parts of Kumamoto Prefecture as well . This included the historic Kumamoto Castle , which partially collapsed. On April 16 at 1:25:06 a.m. local time, a more severe earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 M _w occurred , in which another 40 people were killed. The epicenter was roughly at the same point as that of the quake.

Effects

Quake

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Time lapse of the deflection of the seismic waves of the quake. "EW" stands for "East-West", "NS" for "North-South" and "UD" for the upward and downward movements.

In Mashiki and Kumamoto, the foreshock on April 14 claimed a total of nine lives due to fires. In Kumamoto City, 70 injured people had been hospitalized by 11 p.m. local time.

The Kyushu Railway Company temporarily suspended the operation of the Kyūshū Shinkansen , as several wagons derailed during a test drive due to the earthquake. Air traffic was largely spared; The following day, however, a total of four flights from All Nippon Airways and Solaseed Air to and from Kumamoto Airport were canceled. Due to the failure of the Kyushu Shinkansen, Japan Air Commuter offered two special flights a day from Kagoshima to Fukuoka .

The Sendai nuclear power plant, 120 km away , was not damaged , according to the operator Kyūshū Denryoku .

Main quake

Intensity of the main earthquake on April 15, USGS graphic

The main earthquake on April 15, 16:25 UTC had a magnitude of 7.0 M _w and claimed 40 lives and over 3,000 injuries. The electricity went out in around 200,000 households; water in 385,000 houses. In addition, there were other building collapses, including the Aso-Ōhashi Bridge on National Road 325 near Aso , the terminal building of Kumamoto Airport, the Aso campus of Tōkai University and the Uto City Hall . Over 100,000 people have been evacuated from the affected areas.

The earthquake severely damaged several cultural assets. At the Asō shrine , the prayer hall ( haiden ) and the 250-year-old tower gate ( rōmon ), classified as an important cultural asset of Japan , collapsed . Likewise, two warehouses from the 16th century of Kumamoto Castle , also important cultural assets, collapsed with further serious damage to the walls and roofs. Due to the complex stone walls, it is estimated that it will take decades to restore the castle. The walls of the Yatsushiro castle ruins also collapsed on a smaller section. In Kumamoto, the home of US educator Leroy Lansing Janes, who worked in Japan in the 19th century, was affected.

Kumamoto Airport was closed April 16-19. In addition, several highways were damaged or blocked as a result of landslides.

Relief efforts

The government sent around 25,000 soldiers from the Self-Defense Forces to the disaster area and announced a supplementary budget to fund the emergency and reconstruction work. For a short time, it provided an emergency fund of 350 billion yen . The US military flew food, drinking water, and other essential items to Kumamoto. On April 23, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the disaster area and spoke to some of the evacuees.

On May 19, 2016, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko went to Kumamoto Prefecture and spoke to evacuees in an emergency shelter in Minamiaso . They also flew over the disaster area in a helicopter and remembered the victims.