2016 Kumamoto earthquakes

The 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes are a series of earthquakes, including a magnitude 7.0 mainshock which struck at 01:25 Japan standad time on April 16, 2016 beneath Kumamoto city of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyusyu Region, Japan, at a depth of about 10 kilometres, and a foreshock earthquake with a magnitude 6.2 at 21:26 Japan standard time on April 14, 2016, at a depth of about 11 kilometres.

The two earthquakes killed at least 49 people and injured about 3,000 others in total. Severe damage occurred in Kumamoto and Oita Prefectures, with numerous structures collapsing and catching fire. More than 44,000 people have been evacuated from their homes due to the disaster.

As a result of the tremors, the entire city of Kumamoto city was left without water. All residents of Nishihara Village in Kumamoto Prefecture were evacuated over fears that a nearby dam could collapse. Kumamoto Airport was also closed to all but emergency flights, and service on the Kyushu Shinkansen was suspended after a train derailed due to the earthquake. Numerous structures collapsed or caught fire as a result of the earthquake. Government officials estimated more than 1,000 buildings had been seriously damaged, with 90 completely destroyed. A 500-bed hospital in Kumamoto City was knocked off its foundations, forcing the evacuation of all patients, and a natural gas leak prompted Saibu Gas to turn off supplies to multiple homes in the city.

Numerous landslides took place across the mountains of Kyushu, rendering roads impassable,  The Great Aso Bridge of the Japan National Route 325 in Minamiaso collapsed into the Kurokawa river. A particularly large rockslide was photographed blocking the entirety of a four-lane express-way close to the fallen Great Aso Bridge, leaving a large scar that ran almost completely up the hill that suffered the rockslide.

The Aso Shrine was also heavily damaged in the earthquake. The shrine's rōmon (tower gate), officially classified as an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government, and the haiden (worshiping hall) both completely collapsed. Kumamoto Castle, another Important Cultural Property sustained damage to its roof and exterior buildings and walls because of the earthquakes and associated aftershocks. Several of the castle's shachihoko ornaments were destroyed, and a large number of kawara tiles also fell from the roof. Other historical buildings such as Janes' Residence, the first western-style house built in Kumamoto (dating from 1871)  were also totally destroyed The former registered Cultural Asset was initially located in the grounds of Kumamoto Castle, but was later relocated nearSuizen-ji Jōju-en.

Early estimates of the economic costs of the damage range from $5.5 billion to $7.5 billion, with insured property losses estimated to be between $800 million to $1.2 billion, according to Risk Management Solutions or between $1.7 billion to $2.9 billion, according to Guy Carpenter.

2016 Kumamoto earthquakes(In Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Kumamoto_earthquakes