7.1 Earthquake Jolts Japan

An earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter Scale jolted southwestern Japan in the early afternoon Friday, but early reports indicate it caused only moderate damage.

According to the BBC, the quake, which lasted about 40 seconds, burst pipelines, started fires and collapsed several houses in the town of Yang, which was closest to the epicenter.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency said the quake was almost six miles deep, and was the strongest registered on the main island of Honshu since the disastrous Kobe quake in 1995. There are no estimates as yet of the amount of damages.