A total of 46 evacuees left Akuseki and Kodakara islands aboard a ferry Sunday morning from the village of Toshima, in Kagoshima Prefecture, after a series of strong earthquakes rocked the Tokara island chain.
The ferry, operated by the village, was scheduled to arrive at Kagoshima Port in the prefectural capital of Kagoshima later in the day.
This is the second time that residents of Akuseki Island have evacuated, but the first time for those from Kodakara Island.
The series of earthquakes with their epicenters in the seas around the Tokara chain began on June 21. A jolt measuring lower 6, the third highest on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, was observed on Akuseki Island on Thursday.
This helped prompt 13 residents of the island to evacuate via a ferry to the city of Kagoshima on Friday. Akuseki Island experienced earthquakes measuring an upper 5 on Saturday and Sunday.
Kodakara, located close to Akuseki, has also been hit by many earthquakes, including one that measured lower 5 on Wednesday.
