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| At least nine dead after earthquake hits Japan | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| At least nine people have been killed and 45 injured by a powerful magnitude-6.5 earthquake that knocked over houses and buckled roads in southern Japan on Thursday. The two victims identified first were from the hardest-hit town of Mashiki, about 15km (9 miles) east of Kumamoto city on the island of Kyushu, said Kumamoto prefecture disaster management official, Takayuki Matsushita. | |
| Earlier, the Japanese Red Cross Kumamoto hospital said it had admitted or treated 45 people on Thursday, including five with serious injuries. The quake struck at 9.26pm (12.26pm GMT). There was no risk of a tsunami. | Earlier, the Japanese Red Cross Kumamoto hospital said it had admitted or treated 45 people on Thursday, including five with serious injuries. The quake struck at 9.26pm (12.26pm GMT). There was no risk of a tsunami. |
| “There was a kaboom and the whole house shook violently sideways,” Takahiko Morita, a resident of Mashiki, a town near the epicentre, said in a telephone interview with Japanese broadcaster NHK. “Furniture and bookshelves fell down, and books were all over the floor.” | “There was a kaboom and the whole house shook violently sideways,” Takahiko Morita, a resident of Mashiki, a town near the epicentre, said in a telephone interview with Japanese broadcaster NHK. “Furniture and bookshelves fell down, and books were all over the floor.” |
| Morita said some houses and walls collapsed in his neighbourhood, and water supply had been cut off. | Morita said some houses and walls collapsed in his neighbourhood, and water supply had been cut off. |
| Police in Kumamoto prefecture said they had received reports of a number of collapsed houses and people possibly trapped inside. | Police in Kumamoto prefecture said they had received reports of a number of collapsed houses and people possibly trapped inside. |
| Mashiki is about 800 miles (1,300km) south-west of Tokyo. | Mashiki is about 800 miles (1,300km) south-west of Tokyo. |
| Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, told a news conference that the damage was being assessed, but there were no abnormalities at nearby nuclear facilities. The epicentre was 74 miles (120km) north-east of the Sendai nuclear plant, the only one operating in the country. | Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, told a news conference that the damage was being assessed, but there were no abnormalities at nearby nuclear facilities. The epicentre was 74 miles (120km) north-east of the Sendai nuclear plant, the only one operating in the country. |
| TV footage showed Mashiki town hall in the dark, apparently having lost power. Other footage showed rubble on the road, shards of glass and broken windows, and fires breaking out in some places. | TV footage showed Mashiki town hall in the dark, apparently having lost power. Other footage showed rubble on the road, shards of glass and broken windows, and fires breaking out in some places. |
| An official in nearby Uki city who was driving home when the quake struck said parts of the ceiling at Uki city hall had collapsed, windows broke and cabinets fell to the ground. | An official in nearby Uki city who was driving home when the quake struck said parts of the ceiling at Uki city hall had collapsed, windows broke and cabinets fell to the ground. |
| Kasumi Nakamura, an official in the village of Nishihara, said the rattling started modestly before becoming violent and lasted about 30 seconds. “Papers, files, flower vases and everything fell on the floor,” he told NHK. | Kasumi Nakamura, an official in the village of Nishihara, said the rattling started modestly before becoming violent and lasted about 30 seconds. “Papers, files, flower vases and everything fell on the floor,” he told NHK. |
| There were multiple aftershocks, the largest one reaching a 5.7-magnitude about 40 minutes later, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. | There were multiple aftershocks, the largest one reaching a 5.7-magnitude about 40 minutes later, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. |
| The US Geological Survey measured the quake’s preliminary magnitude at 6.2 and said it was 14 miles (23km) deep. It said there was a low likelihood of casualties but some damage was possible. | The US Geological Survey measured the quake’s preliminary magnitude at 6.2 and said it was 14 miles (23km) deep. It said there was a low likelihood of casualties but some damage was possible. |
| Footage from an NHK bureau in the area showed books, files and papers raining down to the floor. One employee appeared to have fallen off a chair, while others slid under their desks to protect their heads. | Footage from an NHK bureau in the area showed books, files and papers raining down to the floor. One employee appeared to have fallen off a chair, while others slid under their desks to protect their heads. |