Nuclear plants were unaffected, but several major manufacturers including Honda, Bridgestone, and Sony said they had suspended operation
Nine people were killed after a powerful earthquake hit southern Japan, toppling homes, sparking fires and injuring hundreds, officials said, as rescuers scrambled to find residents feared trapped in rubble.- Japanese media reported that nearly 200,000 homes were without electricity.
- The quakes' epicenters have been relatively shallow - about 10 kilometers (6 miles) - and close to the surface, resulting in more severe shaking and damage.
- The Japan Meteorological Agency said that the quake that struck earlier Saturday may be the main quake, with the earlier one a precursor.
- A series of aftershocks ensued, including a magnitude-5.4 Saturday morning.
- Kumamoto Prefectural official Tomoyuki Tanaka said the death tolls were climbing by the hour, with the latest standing at 19 from Saturday's magnitude-7.3 quake that shook the Kumamoto region on the southwestern island of Kyushu at 1:25 a.m.
- The exact number of casualties remained unclear as rescue efforts continue to unfold.
- Two powerful earthquakes a day apart shook southwestern Japan, killing at least 29 people, trapping many others beneath flattened homes and sending thousands of residents to seek refuge in gymnasiums and hotel lobbies.
- Train services were temporarily halted after Thursday's earthquake and a super fast bullet train derailed -- luckily while it was empty -- said Yusuke Nanri, a spokesman for operator JR Kyushu.
- In the town of Mashiki, scores of people gathered in front the town hall following the powerful shaking, some in tears while others wrapped themselves in blankets to ward off the nighttime chill.
- As the death toll rose through the night, an eight-month-old baby girl was pulled from the rubble alive and unharmed, public broadcaster NHK reported.
- By Friday morning, the government said it had confirmed at least 761 people had been injured, at least 44 seriously. An official from the local Kumamoto disaster agency said at least nine were dead.
- \"I felt quite strong jolts, which I had never experienced before,\" Shunsuke Sakuragi, a prefectural official in the city of Kumamoto, said.
- Dozens of aftershocks followed the quake, which hit on Thursday evening around 9:26 pm and officials warned the death toll could rise as rescuers scoured the collapsed buildings.
- Tens of thousands of people fled their homes after the 6.5-magnitude quake struck the southwestern island of Kyushu, buckling roads and leaving lumps of broken concrete strewn in the streets.
Nine people were killed after a powerful earthquake hit southern Japan, toppling homes, sparking fires and injuring hundreds, officials said, as rescuers scrambled to find residents feared trapped in rubble.
Nuclear plants were unaffected, but several major manufacturers including Honda, Bridgestone, and Sony said they had suspended operation
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