Southwest Japan records over 1,000 aftershocks

Tokyo: Japan`s southwestern region, jolted by two powerful tremors that killed 50 people earlier this month, has witnessed over a thousand aftershocks since the first strong quake hit the country on April 14.

This volume of seismic activity is unusually high even for Japan, a country used to frequent tectonic movements and which recorded 1,842 humanly-perceptible quakes last year, EFE news reported.

The Japan Meteorological Agency on Thursday urged that quake alert in Kumamoto and Oita, the two worst-affected prefecture cities on Kyushu Island, be continued.

On April 14, Kumamoto registered a violent 6.5-magnitude earthquake, which triggered a series of tremors, including one of 7.3 magnitude that struck two days later and caused even greater destruction.

The quakes claimed 49 lives with one person still missing and led to the evacuation of 30,000 people.

Moreover, authorities said 16 people died in the aftermath of the quakes, owing to fatigue and stress from harsh living conditions in the area, where many have had to spend several nights in their cars.

Almost 300 sites on local roads are still blocked by rocks, fallen trees or debris, which have cut off access to several areas.