TOKYO (Sputnik) – On April 14, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck to the east of Kumamoto city (the capital of Kumamoto Prefecture) on Japan’s Kyushu Island. It was followed by multiple aftershocks. The following day, the same area was hit by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake.
Over 40 people were killed as a result of the natural disaster and more than 2,000 people were injured. Three people are missing and over 90,000 remain at evacuation centers.
Japan is a seismically active region. In March 2011, a 9.0-magnitude offshore earthquake triggered a 46-foot tsunami that hit Japan's Fukushima nuclear power, leading to the leakage of radioactive materials and the shutdown of the plant. The accident is considered to be the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
