Millions on alert after 6.4-magnitude earthquake jolts Japan
People have been urged to avoid areas where the tremors were strong.
Scenes of ruin have emerged from southern Japan after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4.
Millions of people are on alert after being jolted by the tremors on Wednesday night.
The epicentre was pinpointed to a channel between the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku, about 11 miles west of Uwajima, at a depth of about 15 miles.
Footage circulating on social media shows buildings shaking amid the power of the earthquake.
A man in his 90s was among several people who were wounded and have since been taken to hospital.
No tsunami warnings have been issued across Japan where seismic activity is a common event.
‘In areas the jolt was strong, please do not approach any dangerous areas. There is no risk of tsunami caused by this earthquake,’ the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) confirmed in a statement on X.
The tremor measured an intensity of lower 6 on the Japanese seismic scale of 0 to 7.
Agency officials said this is the first time since 1996, when the seismic intensity scale was introduced, that an earthquake with an intensity of lower 6 or higher has hit Ehime and Kochi prefectures.
Pictures show workers clearing up the damage in the early hours of this morning.
Some water pipes burst overnight and roads were damaged by fallen rocks, but no major devastation was reported.
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