2016 Kumamoto earthquakes
The 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes (Japanese: 平成28年熊本地震, Hepburn: Heisei 28-nen Kumamoto jishin) were 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).
A destroyed house in Kumamoto | |
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. | |
| UTC time | 2016-04-15 16:25:06 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 610289055 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | April 16, 2016 |
| Local time | 01:25 JST (UTC+9) |
| Magnitude | 7.0 Mw 7.3 MJMA |
| Depth | 10 km |
| Epicenter | 32°46′55.2″N 130°43′33.6″E |
| Fault | Futagawa-Hinagu fault zone |
| Type | Strike-slip |
| Areas affected | Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan |
| Max. intensity | JMA 7 (MMI IX) |
| Peak acceleration | 1.61 g (foreshock) 1580 Gal (foreshock) 1.83 g (mainshock) 1791 Gal (mainshock) |
| Foreshocks | 6.2 Mw, April 14, 2016 12:26:36 (UTC), 21:26:36 (JST) |
| Casualties | 273 dead, 2,809 injured(including indirect deaths) |
In total, the two earthquakes killed 273 people and injured 2,809 others, a majority of them indirectly, making this the deadliest earthquake sequence in Japan since the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. 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.