Japan Rocked By Large Earthquake. Residents Told To Avoid Coast During Tsunami Warning

A significant earthquake rocked southern Japan on Tuesday, causing a mall to partially collapse and triggering a tsunami warning.

NBC News reported that the quake was a 7.1 magnitude in the Richter scale and a depth of just over 6 miles. It struck at about 4:27 p.m. local time.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the epicenter of the earthquake was in the Kumamoto region with strong shaking observed in Uki City and Makigawa Town.

Takaichi urged residents to avoid the coast after a tsunami warning was issued for Ariake Bay and Yatsushiro Sea, with possible waves of up to three feet. That warning was later lifted.

Takaichi promised a robust government emergency response and said that federal authorities were working closely with local governments to ensure people received the help they need.

"To those in the areas where the shaking was strong, I would like to ask you to continue to be vigilant against the occurrence of earthquakes of the same magnitude," Takaichi said.

The earthquake damaged buildings, collapsed homes, and caused dozens of injuries, NBC News reported. The network reported that local news reports indicated that the Aeon Mall building in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, had sustained damage and partially collapsed, trapping several people inside.

Kumamoto Airport in Mashiki, announced that it was suspending flights. All domestic flights at the airport were canceled.

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority reported that it had not found any "abnormalities" at nearby nuclear facilities in Ikata, Genkai and Satsumasendai City.

NBC News reported that almost 20 percent of global earthquakes measuring 6.0 or higher occur in Japan, as the country sits in an area where several tectonic plates converge.

In 2011, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami killed 20,000 people. That quake also caused the meltdown of three reactors at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. NBC News noted that since that earthquake, Japan had strengthened its earthquake and tsunami warnings, including evacuation protocols.