TOKYO (Jiji Press)--A powerful earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday was caused by movement along part of the Hinagu fault zone, which also triggered major earthquakes in the southwestern Japan prefecture a decade ago, a Japanese government research panel has said.

The 81-kilometer-long active fault zone extends in a northeast-southwest direction from the town of Mashiki toward the city of Yatsushiro, both in Kumamoto.

The first of the two major earthquakes that struck Kumamoto in 2016 and recorded a maximum seismic intensity of 7, the highest level on the Japanese scale, is attributed to activity in the northeastern segment of the Hinagu fault zone.

Regarding a possible link between the 2016 and 2026 earthquakes in Kumamoto, Kazushige Obara, an emeritus professor at the University of Tokyo who serves as chairman of the government's Earthquake Research Committee, said at a press conference following the committee's extraordinary meeting Wednesday, "Compared with the activity 10 years ago, the latest activity occurred on the southwestern side (of the fault zone)."

He added, "Given that both events occurred in adjacent areas along the very same Hinagu fault zone, it is reasonable to say that they are related."

The fault zone extends further southwest into the Yatsushiro Sea, with some sections showing no signs of activity during the latest seismic event.

"There is a possibility that another major earthquake will occur, though we don't know when," Obara said, urging people in the region to strengthen their daily preparedness for potential quakes.

At around 4:27 p.m. Tuesday, an earthquake with a seismic intensity of up to 7 struck Kumamoto Prefecture. The disaster left 18 people dead, six in cardiopulmonary arrest and five seriously injured as of 11 a.m. Thursday.