All 15 tour groups in Kyushu, Japan, are safe after a strong earthquake rocked the island and killed at least a dozen people, the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong (HKTIC) has said.
According to initial estimates, there were around 200 tourists travelling in 15 tour groups in the southern Japanese island when the earthquake struck, the HKTIC told HKFP on Wednesday.
All of them are reported to be safe, the council said.
As of Thursday morning, 28 people have been confirmed dead by the Japanese government following the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that hit Kyushu’s Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday afternoon.
Hundreds of thousands of residents were evacuated, international media reported.
“Tour groups with itineraries that include Kumamoto may adjust their itineraries as needed depending on the situation,” the HKTIC said.
“As of now, the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong has not received any requests for assistance.”
Separately, travel agency Wing On Travel announced on Wednesday that it would cancel its six-day Kyushu tour, which was scheduled to depart on July 31. All tour fees and taxes will be fully refunded, local media reported.
Steve Huen, executive director of EGL Tours, told local media on Tuesday that the agency currently had seven tour groups in Kyushu, comprising around 140 tourists who were all safe.
The executive said that one group comprising 15 people was on a tour bus along a highway in Kumamoto when the earthquake struck. As the highway was damaged in the quake, they were temporarily stranded.
Yuen Chun-ning, executive director of travel agency WWPKG, told local media that as expressways in Kumamoto may remain closed and hotels there are experiencing minor power disruptions, WWPKG tour groups scheduled to stay in Kumamoto on Thursday will be rerouted to Fukuoka.
Additionally, Kumamoto sightseeing itineraries for Thursday and Friday will be changed to Dazaifu and Itoshima, Yuen has said.
Kumamoto is a popular travel destination among Hongkongers.
The Immigration Department said it has not received any requests for assistance from Hong Kong residents so far, local media reported.
