Kumamoto, Nov 26 (News On Japan) - A powerful earthquake struck the Aso region of Kumamoto at around 6:01 p.m. on November 25th, toppling a residential gate in Aso City and scattering roof tiles across the road, while rockfalls and damage were reported in nearby areas.
In Ubuyama Village, where the tremor registered a strong Intensity 5, FNN cameras on the morning of November 26th captured a large boulder that had crashed onto a prefectural road, blocking traffic, after an accident the previous night in which falling rocks hit a passing vehicle.
The driver of the vehicle said the collision occurred as he attempted to descend a slope after receiving an earthquake alert on his phone, explaining that he saw a large rock ahead but did not notice a smaller one in front of it, causing him to ride over it when braking came too late.
In Aso City, products fell from shelves at a drugstore, leaving multiple items broken. Staff were gathering and sorting damaged goods, including bottles soaked after a container of vinegar shattered on impact.
A woman in her 70s in Aso City was taken to hospital after falling inside her home during the quake.
Kumamoto experienced two Intensity 7 earthquakes in April 2016. Junichi Nakajima, a professor at Tokyo University of Science, said the latest quake occurred on the northeastern side of the fault involved in the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, noting that it can be regarded in a broad sense as an aftershock and that seismic activity in the area has remained heightened since that time.
Shinichi Sakai, a professor at the University of Tokyo’s Earthquake Research Institute, said attention is needed to determine whether the quake may influence volcanic activity at Mount Aso or active faults extending toward the Ariake Sea and Oita Prefecture.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has warned that earthquakes of around Intensity 5+ or stronger may occur over the next week and is urging continued caution.
Source: FNN
