2016 Kumamoto earthquakes

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2016 Kumamoto earthquakes

A destroyed house in Kumamoto
United States Geological Survey shake map for the April 16 earthquake; a maximum Mercalli intensity scale value of 8.8 was observed just east of Kumamoto City.[1]
UTC time	2016-04-15 16:25:06
ISC event	610289055
USGS-ANSS	ComCat
Local date	April 16, 2016 (2016-04-16)[2]
Local time	01:25 JST (UTC+9)
Magnitude	7.0 Mw[2] 7.3 MJMA
Depth	10 km[3]
Epicenter	32°46′55.2″N 130°43′33.6″E / 32.782000°N 130.726000°E / 32.782000; 130.726000[2]
Fault	Futagawa-Hinagu fault zone
Type	Strike-slip
Areas affected	Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan[4]
Max. intensity	JMA 7 (MMI IX)
Peak acceleration	1.61 g (foreshock) 1580 Gal (foreshock) 1.83 g (mainshock) 1791 Gal (mainshock)
Foreshocks	6.2 Mw, April 14, 2016 (2016-04-14) 12:26:36 (UTC), 21:26:36 (JST)[4][5][6]
Casualties	277 dead, 2,809 injured (including indirect deaths)[7]

The 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes (Japanese: 平成28年熊本地震, Hepburn: Heisei 28-nen Kumamoto jishin) were a series of earthquakes,^[2] including a magnitude 7.0 mainshock which struck at 01:25 JST on April 16, 2016 (16:25 UTC on April 15) beneath Kumamoto City of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu Region, Japan, at a depth of about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles),^[8] and a foreshock earthquake with a magnitude 6.2 at 21:26 JST (12:26 UTC) on April 14, 2016, at a depth of about 11 kilometres (6.8 miles).^[4]

In total, the two earthquakes killed 277 people^[9] and injured 2,809 others, a majority of them indirectly,^[7][10] This earthquake sequence was the deadliest in Japan since the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami,^[11] until the 2024 Noto earthquake. Of these, 50 deaths were directly caused by the earthquake, 218 were disaster-related deaths (災害関連死, Saigai-kanren-shi)^[12] caused by aggravation of injuries from the earthquake or aggravation of illnesses during evacuation, and 5 of the deaths caused by the heavy rains from June 19–25 were related to the earthquake.^[13]

Severe damage occurred in Kumamoto and Ōita Prefectures, with numerous structures collapsing and catching fire. More than 44,000 people were evacuated from their homes due to the disaster.