The remote earthquakes islands where no one has slept for weeks…as they've been hit by 900 terrifying tremors & counting

The Irish Sun

19 hours ago

A REMOTE island chain has been rocked by more than 900 terrifying earthquakes in two weeks - forcing its residents to stay up all night.
Tokara island chain in the south of Japan - a region prone to tremors - has been rattled by 1,031 quakes since June 21.
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Akuseki Island, one of the main islands for tourists in the Tokara Islands
Credit: Getty
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Children are forced to wear helmets even when they go to school
Credit: Getty
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An aerial view shows Akuseki Island which was hit by a 5.5 magnitude earthquake on Thursday
Credit: Reuters
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A 5.5 magnitude quake today struck near Akuseki - one of the 12 islands in the cluster - just a day after it recorded a jolt of the same size.
Japanese authorities urged the 89 residents of a small southern island to evacuate after the
The quake hit at a depth of 12 miles, giving it a seismic intensity of "lower six" on
Japan
's 1-7 scale on Akuseki Island, the agency said.
The intensity is classified as a level that makes it "difficult to remain standing", according to the agency.
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After all residents were confirmed safe, the evacuation instruction was later lifted.
While no major damage has been reported, Tokara village said on its website that residents haven't been able to
sleep
and are tired.
One resident told regional broadcaster MBC: "It feels like it's always shaking.
"It's very scary to even fall asleep."
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Another resident added: "It's not clear when all this will end. I should think about whether to evacuate my kids."
Seven of the 12 remote Tokara Islands are inhabited, with around 700 residents in total.
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A similar period of intense seismic activity in the Tokara area was seen in September 2023, when 346 earthquakes were recorded, according to the JMA.
But their intensity and frequency were not as much as the slew of earthquakes that hit the region in the past two weeks.
This series of tremors comes as the country as a whole has been kept on edge by rumours that a massive, deadly quake could soon hit.
Ayataka Ebita from the Japan Meteorological Agency said: "In areas where the tremors were strong, there is an increased risk of collapsed houses and landslides.
"Please be aware of earthquakes of similar magnitude for the foreseeable
future
."
The government released a report saying much more needed to be done to prepare for such a megaquake.
Some foreign tourists have held off coming to Japan due to unfounded fears fanned by social media that a major quake is imminent.
Earthquake hotspot
Japan is
The country's position at the intersection of four major tectonic plates — the Pacific Plate, the North American Plate, the Eurasian Plate, and the Philippine Sea Plate — makes it particularly prone to seismic activity.
These plates are constantly shifting and colliding, creating subduction zones where one plate is forced beneath another.
The frequent subduction of plates not only causes earthquakes but also triggers underwater fault movements that can displace large volumes of water, causing tsunamis.
The archipelago, home to around 125 million people, typically experiences around 1,500 jolts every year and accounts for about 18 per cent of the world's earthquakes.
In 2011, a magnitude-9.0 quake triggered a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing and caused a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
Another major earthquake, the 1995 Kobe earthquake, resulted in widespread destruction and the loss of over 6,000 lives.
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Japan was smashed by an earthquake in 2011 leaving part of the country destroyed
Credit: EPA
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Buildings destroyed by a tsunami are pictured in Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, in northern Japan
Credit: Reuters
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A woman reacts amidst debris caused by a massive earthquake and the ensuing tsunami in 2011
Credit: AP:Associated Press
Nearly
To mitigate the effects of these natural disasters, Japan has implemented advanced safety measures.
Seismic-resistant buildings are designed to sway rather than collapse during earthquakes, while early warning systems detect seismic activity and provide residents with crucial seconds to prepare.
Along the coast, tsunami defence systems, including sea walls and evacuation plans, aim to minimise casualties.
Education programmes also play a key role in making sure that citizens are prepared for emergencies.
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Japan is one of the most geologically active areas on Earth
Credit: Alamy