9 Killed, 850+ Injured in Deadly Japan Quake

Local Editor

At least nine people were killed after a 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck east of Kumamoto, Japan. More than 850 others were injured, with some 400 being taken to local hospitals, according to public broadcaster NHK.

The quake hit the city at 9:26 p.m. local time [12:26 GMT], some 11 kilometers east of the city of Kumamoto. It had a depth of 10 kilometers.

Eventually, an aftershock measuring 5.7 struck the region about 40 minutes after the quake, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The US Geological Survey [USGS] reported that a separate tremor measuring 5.9 struck a couple hours later.

Consequently, Mashiko, a village close to the epicenter, suffered the worst damage, with over 20 buildings destroyed and several fires reported. The rescue operations are currently underway, with some 400 defense forces personnel deployed to help look through the debris during the night.

Commenting on the incident, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters that the government intends "to do our utmost and carry on with life-saving and rescue operations throughout the night."

Local police said they received reports that several people were trapped under collapsed houses. They also said that several traffic lights lost power after the quake.

Some 16,500 households were left without electricity and 38,000 homes had no gas supplies, according to Japanese Kyushu Electric Power Co Inc. Some high-speed trains were halted as a precaution.

Meanwhile, Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority said there were no irregularities at three nuclear plants on the southernmost island of Kyushu and nearby Shikoku.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team