Residents of the Tokara Islands in the village of Toshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, began evacuating Friday morning following a powerful magnitude 5.5 earthquake that struck a day earlier, which registered a lower 6 on Japan¡¯s seven-point shindo seismic intensity scale ¡ª the highest ever recorded in the region.
No injuries were reported among the 76 residents of Akuseki Island, where the tremor measuring lower 6 on the shindo scale hit at 4:13 p.m. Thursday. However, local officials are offering voluntary evacuation to the city of Kagoshima amid the ongoing earthquakes.
The initial evacuation period is set for about a week but may be extended depending on future seismic activity, Toshima Village Mayor Genichiro Kubo said Thursday during a news conference at the village office in the city of Kagoshima.
The first group of 13 evacuees ¡ª comprising six elementary and junior high school students and seven others ranging in age from infancy to 80 years old ¡ª left Akuseki Island Friday morning aboard a village-operated ferry. The vessel is expected to arrive at Kagoshima Port at around 6 p.m.
At a news conference on Friday morning, Kubo said that the village is currently accepting applications for a second round of departures, which is scheduled for Sunday morning.
The Tokara Islands have been rattled by a swarm of earthquakes since June 21. As of Thursday morning, more than 1,000 tremors with intensities of 1 or greater had been recorded, including the lower 6 jolt and three temblors measuring lower 5. Shindo 4 quakes were observed again Friday, at 9:03 a.m and at 12:20 p.m.
While the region is historically quake-prone, this recent swarm marks the most intense seismic activity in the area since 1995.
Immediately following Thursday¡¯s major quake, the central government established a crisis management center at the Prime Minister¡¯s Office. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said no deaths or injuries had been reported but warned of possible hidden damage on properties.
Ishiba said he had instructed relevant ministries and agencies to survey the damage and implement emergency measures.
Even though the nation is in the midst of an election campaign, he said the government is ensuring that all necessary measures are being taken.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.