The 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes (Japanese: 平成28年熊本地震 Hepburn: Heisei 28-nen Kumamoto jishin?) are a series ofearthquakes, including a magnitude 7.0 mainshock which struck at 01:25 JST on April 16, 2016 (16:25 UTC on April 15) beneathKumamoto City of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu Region, Japan, at a depth of about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi), and a foreshockearthquake with a magnitude 6.2 at 21:26 JST (12:26 UTC) on April 14, 2016, at a depth of about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi).
The two earthquakes killed at least 49 people and injured about 3,000 others in total. Severe damage occurred in Kumamoto and ŌitaPrefectures, with numerous structures collapsing and catching fire. More than 44,000 people were evacuated from their homes due to the disaster.