Ms. Bui Thi Hong Hoa, a Vietnamese living in Japan, writes about the two earthquakes in Kumamoto on April 14 and 16.

Houses in ruins at the epicenter of the earthquake in Japan

On April 14 at 9:26 p.m., a magnitude 7 earthquake with a magnitude (M) of 6.5 struck Kumamoto Prefecture, killing nine people. The earthquake that struck early on April 16 at 1:25 a.m. had a magnitude of 6 and a strong epicenter of M7.3, equivalent to the magnitude of the 1995 Hanshin Earthquake (Hyogo Prefecture).

The Meteorological Department announced that the earthquake on April 14 was a foreshock, and the earthquake in the early morning of April 16 was the main event. This earthquake continued to cause widespread destruction and casualties.

According to earthquake researchers, this earthquake is related to fault activity located in Kumamoto and Ooita provinces.

Hospitals reported that the number of people injured or affected by the earthquake had reached 2,000. As of 5:19 p.m. on April 16, the number of people forced to seek refuge had reached 90,000.

In seven towns in Kumamoto Prefecture, about 105,000 households had their gas cut off. In the three prefectures of Kumamoto, Ooita, and Miyasaki, a total of 141,000 households lost electricity.

Water was cut off, and where there was water, the tap water was turbid and unfit for drinking. Many people had to line up to get water from the rescue team's water trucks. Kumamoto Airport postponed all flights on April 16 and 17. Many supermarkets had to close because of broken objects scattered everywhere.

Minamiaso village landslide, 10 households buried in mud. Hot spring resort isolated by landslide blocking road. Up to 1,000 people isolated by landslide blocking road, rescue plane arrived to rescue isolated people.

Several dormitories at Toukai University had their entire first floors collapsed. Rescue teams arrived to rescue 11 students buried in the rubble, all of whom were pulled out of the rubble but two of them died. In another dormitory, one student also died.

I have foreign students who are living and studying in Kumamoto Prefecture. They texted me: “I haven’t been able to return home since yesterday and am still in the shelter.”

A Vietnamese friend of mine who is working in Kumamoto prefecture contacted me and said, “Yeah, I work on a construction project there, but my house is new so there wasn’t much damage.”

I wish our friends and people in Japan in the earthquake affected areas to be safe and to soon overcome this disaster.

According to KM/BBC/Lao Dong