Tsunami alert in place after powerful 7.1 magnitude strikes Kumamoto: details inside

After a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck regions of Kyushu on Tuesday, July 28, promoting tsunami alerts.

Following the seismic activity, the highest on Japanese intensity scale, the government issued a tsunami alert.

The alert is in place across Kyushu island, including Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, and Kumamoto itself.

Japan Railway Kyushu has halted the train operations, including its bullet trains following the tremors that jolted the region.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, a tsunami warning for waves scaling up to 1m (3.28 feet) was in place after the tremor jolted the Kumamoto region.

The national agency responsible for monitoring seismic activity reported that the first tsunami wave struck Kyushu island after 7.1 magnitude tremors were felt.

The aftershocks are expected to hit soon.

Following the tsunami advisory for the Ariake and Yatsushiro Seas, evacuation orders were issued.

The agency said, “The sea and areas near the coast are dangerous. Please immediately move away from the coast. Also, until the advisory is lifted, do not enter the sea or approach the coast.”

The earthquake hit nearly after a decade; two separate tremors struck city of Kumamoto in April 2016, per JapanTimes.

The quake left 278 people dead and injured another 2,800.