Scores of people were feared trapped after the overnight quake on the southwestern island of Kyushu sparked a fresh wave of destruction in a region where nerves were already frayed following Thursday's deadly earthquake.
The powerful shaking set off a huge landslide that swept away homes and cut off a highway in one area, and unlike the earlier quake which mostly affected old houses, larger buildings were damaged and some toppled across Kumamoto prefecture, the epicentre of the quakes.
The city office in Uto was badly damaged and said to be in danger of collapse, while aerial footage shot by broadcaster TBS showed the toppled centuries-old Aso shrine, its main gates flattened and wooden columns reduced to rubble.
Separately, an active volcano in the area erupted Saturday morning, a local government official said, cautioning, however that it was unclear if the small-scale event was linked to the quakes.
Takayuki Matsushita, an official with Kumamoto prefecture, said seven were confirmed dead, citing police and fire departments.
Public broadcaster NHK, meanwhile, put the death toll at 15 and said there were at least 760 people injured, while a government spokesperson said scores were trapped or buried alive.
There were also 11 people stuck in a damaged university apartment building in Minami-Aso near the landslide, another prefecture official said, adding their condition was unknown and it was unclear if all were students. TBS said seven of them had so far been rescued....
[ i24news.tv]
16/4/16
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Second big quake hits southern Japan,killing at least 21 ...
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The quake struck at 01:25 local time, with the temblor being felt across wide swathes of southern Japan and triggering a tsunami warning although the advisory was soon lifted.
Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA) initially issued the warning just two minutes after the quake struck, saying waves of up to one meter could hit the coast of Japan, with the advisory given for both the Ariake and Yatsushiro sea areas.
The weather agency, however, subsequently lifted the warning, according to public broadcaster NHK, although more aftershocks are expected as well as possible landslides and buildings collapsing as inclement weather is expected overnight and through the weekend.
Regarding the possibility of further quakes and aftershocks, the JMA has advised enhanced vigilance from the public, particularly in hilly areas where mudslides are highly possible.
In the town of Mashiki, home to more than 32,600 people in Kumamoto Prefecture, in southern Kyushu, the epicenter of the previous major quake on Friday, which was logged at an intensity of 7, the National Police Agency on Saturday said local emergency services had been inundated with calls following further reports of buildings collapsing in the region.
They said rescue services were bracing for more casualties.
china.org.cn