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Citizens evacuate to the outside of Changwon City Hall in South Gyeongsang Province on the afternoon of July 28 after sensing tremors caused by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Kyushu, Japan. / Yonhap News

Nearly 800 reports of feeling tremors were received in South Korea, including Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang Province, following a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.

According to the National Fire Agency on July 28, a total of 789 reports of felt tremors related to the earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, were received nationwide as of 5:30 p.m. that day. No damage from the earthquake has been reported so far.

By region, Busan received the highest number of reports at 291. This was followed by Ulsan with 125 reports, South Gyeongsang Province with 120, Changwon with 95, North Gyeongsang Province with 69, South Jeolla Province with 46, Incheon with 17, and Gwangju with 9. Meanwhile, South Jeolla Province received 5 reports, Gyeonggi Province 4, Daejeon 3, and North Chungcheong Province 2, while Seoul, Daegu, and Jeju each recorded 1 report.

Earlier at 4:27 p.m. that day, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred 23 km south of Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. In South Korea, tremors with a maximum instrumental intensity of Ⅲ were felt mainly in southern regions, including South Gyeongsang Province. An instrumental intensity of Ⅲ indicates a level where people on upper floors of buildings clearly feel vibrations and stationary vehicles may sway slightly.

Subsequently, magnitude 6.1 and 5.0 earthquakes were observed in succession at 5:08 p.m. and 5:18 p.m., respectively, in waters 49 km south-southwest of Kumamoto City.

                                                                                                         Kim Nam-hyung