Japan5:51 p.m. July 28
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A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck southwest Japan on Tuesday afternoon, causing injuries and fires near its epicenter, according to Japan’s state broadcaster.
The earthquake struck at 4:27 p.m. local time and triggered a tsunami warning from the U.S. National Weather Service that was later lifted. The epicenter was near Uto, a coastal city in Kumamoto Prefecture, according to the United States Geological Survey. The agency initially reported it as a 7.1-magnitude earthquake before revising it down.
Numerous injuries and fires were reported across Kumamoto, according to the public broadcaster NHK. Its footage from the prefecture showed heavy shaking in cities and smoke rising from houses.
The National Weather Service’s Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu issued a tsunami warning shortly after 4:30 p.m. Japan time, though it said there was no danger of a tsunami for Hawaii, the Pacific islands or the West Coast.
The tsunami threat had passed by 5:14 p.m. local time, the center said.
Kumamoto was hit by a powerful series of earthquakes 10 years ago that left 278 people dead across the prefecture and surrounding areas.
On Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency initially issued a tsunami advisory for coastal areas around the Ariake and Yatsushiro Seas, but said it would likely lift the warning quickly. The agency warned that earthquakes of a similar scale could occur in the next few days.