M5.4 quake shakes southwestern Japan islands as temblors continue
A quake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.4 rattled islands in southwestern Japan on Saturday, the latest in a series of temblors that have prompted some residents to evacuate, Kyodo reports.
The quake struck off the Tokara island chain at 6:29 a.m. at a depth of about 19 kilometers, though no tsunami warning was issued, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. It measured upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7.
The magnitude and depth of the focus of the quake were revised from 5.3 and 20 km, respectively.
The agency is warning of possible house collapses and landslides as strong quakes are expected to continue for some time.
The number of quakes detected in the Tokara island chain area has exceeded 1,000 since June 21. A temblor with a magnitude of 5.5, measuring lower 6 of the Japanese scale, jolted the area Thursday.
Around a dozen residents evacuated from Akuseki Island, which has experienced strong shaking throughout the period, to Kagoshima on the main island of Kyushu via ferry on Friday.
Akuseki Island is less than 8 square kilometers in area and has a population of 89, according to the local government.
