A powerful magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck off the coast of southern Japan on Sunday, injuring at least 250 people, damaging buildings and leaving residents shaken as aftershocks continued. Authorities issued a tsunami warning that was later canceled. The temblor, which hit west of Kyushu Island at 10:53 a.m. (0153 GMT), was centered at an "extremely shallow" depth of 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) below the ocean floor, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said. Aftershocks followed _ at least one a magnitude-4.2 quake. Officials reported water and gas main breaks and power blackouts. Local and bullet train railway service was halted, after an automatic safety mechanism was triggered by the tremors, public broadcaster NHK reported. Telephone service in the southern prefecture was jammed. Minutes after the shaking began, the agency warned of the possibility of 50-centimeter (20-inch) tsunami waves triggered by the seismic activity, and cautioned residents near the water to move to higher ground. But an hour after the quake, the agency said there was no danger of tsunami. "There may be some disturbance of the ocean's surface, but we aren't worried about tsunami damage," said Masahiro Yamamoto of the Meteorological Agency. Yamamoto predicted strong aftershocks measuring up to magnitude-6 would continue.
