A magnitude 5.0 earthquake that registered lower 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale to 7 hit Kumamoto Prefecture at around 6:10 p.m. Thursday, the Meteorological Agency said. No tsunami warning was issued.
Municipalities, police and firefighters scrambled to gauge the impact of the quake, but the extent of the damage had not yet confirmed as of Thursday evening. According to the agency, the quake's focus was about 10 km deep.
The quake struck as a lower 6 in the town of Nagomi in northern Kumamoto and a 4 in southern Fukuoka Prefecture, while some regions in nearby Saga, Nagasaki, Oita and Miyazaki prefectures recorded an intensity of 3, the agency said.