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Earthquake topples houses in southern Japan Earthquake topples houses in southern Japan
(about 2 hours later)
An earthquake has struck southern Japan, bringing down several houses, a top government spokesman says. An earthquake has struck southern Japan, injuring several people seriously and possibly leaving others trapped beneath collapsed houses, authorities say.
No tsunami warning was issued after the quake, measured at a preliminary magnitude of 6.4. No tsunami warning was issued after the magnitude 6.4 quake.
The earthquake struck at 21:26 (1226 GMT) east of Kumamoto city, on the island of Kyushu, the Japan Meteorological Agency says. It struck at 21:26 (12:26 GMT) east of Kumamoto city, on the island of Kyushu, the Japan Meteorological Agency says.
The Sendai and Genkai nuclear plants on Kyushu are reported to be operating as normal. The two Sendai nuclear reactors on Kyushu are reported to be operating as normal.
No casualties have yet been confirmed though police in Kumamoto prefecture say people may be trapped in collapsed houses. The three Genkai nuclear reactors still in operation on the island were already closed for routine inspection.
The quake struck at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles) and was followed 40 minutes later by an aftershock measuring 5.7. The quake struck at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles) and was followed by aftershocks measuring 5.7 about 40 minutes later and 6.4 just after midnight local time.
An official in Uki, a city in Kumamoto prefecture, told the Associated Press news agency that the walls of some houses had collapsed, in addition to part of the city hall's ceiling. But Japan's seismology office recorded the shaking at some places to be as intense as the huge magnitude 9 earthquake that hit the country in 2011.
Japanese state broadcaster NHK said a fire had broken out at a building in Mashiki, another town in the prefecture. That triggered a tsunami in a double disaster that left more than 18,000 people dead or missing and led to meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
It also reported (in Japanese) that one woman had been found unconscious, in a serious condition, under a collapsed building in Mashiki. "The shaking was so violent I couldn't stand still," Hironobu Kosaki, a local police official, told AP news agency.
Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said several houses had collapsed but officials were still assessing the damage, Reuters news agency reports. About 40 people were being treated at a hospital in Kumamoto city, with several seriously injured, reports said.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at least 19 houses had collapsed and officials were still assessing the extent of the damage.
About 16,000 homes were without electricity and 38,000 were without gas, Japanese media reported.
The BBC's Japan Correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes says the quake took place at a time when most people were at home.
The authorities said the shaking was most severe in the town of Mashiki, 15km (nine miles) east of Kumamoto.
Residents said houses and walls had collapsed and the water supply had been cut off.
Japanese state broadcaster NHK said a fire had broken out in the town and also reported (in Japanese) that one woman had been found unconscious in a serious condition under a collapsed building.
An official in the nearby city of Uki said houses there had also collapsed as well as part of the city hall's ceiling.
Some train services were suspended as a precautionary measure.Some train services were suspended as a precautionary measure.
Japan is regularly struck by earthquakes but stringent building codes mean that damage usually does not occur.Japan is regularly struck by earthquakes but stringent building codes mean that damage usually does not occur.
A magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeast Japan in March 2011, triggering tsunami waves in a double disaster that left more than 18,000 people dead or missing and led to meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.