Nine people were killed and hundreds were injured when a 6.4 magnitude hit Japan Thursday night, reports say.
The 6.4 quake that hit Kyushu, Japan's third largest island, surprised most residents as it happened at 9:26 p.m. (1:26 GMT) April 14 at a depth of 7 miles near Kumamoto city.
Majority of the victims affected by the earthquake come from Mashiki, Kumamoto Prefecture, about 9 miles east of Kumamoto city. Kumamoto prefecture disaster management official Takayuki Matsushita said that as of Friday morning, about 44,400 people were evacuated in 500 shelters in Mashiki town hall.
14,500 households have no power supply, while more than 25,000 homes have no water supply. Saibu Gas Co also suspended gas supply to about 1,100 homes following 54 reports of gas leaks.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addressed reporters Friday morning and shared that the government now has firefighters, police officers, and troops of Self-Defense Forces working on rescue operations. Abe also said that the government will extend support, including food and medical support to the affected victims.
A total of 1,084 officers coming from 19 different prefectures are now mobilizing to hit the disaster areas, said the National Police Agency. Yasuhiro Soshino from the Japanese Red Cross Kumamoto Hospital said that they have treated more than 200 injuries, 15 of which were serious cases.
"Red Cross medical teams in other areas are also gathering at our Red Cross hospital," Soshino said.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga estimated that the earthquake collapsed 19 houses, as hundreds of calls about damaged building came in. Suga said his office also received reports that a number of people were trapped or buried under debris.
Kumamoto police reported that the nine casualties of the earthquake include five women and four men: Fujito Aramaki, 84; Toshiaki Ito, 61; Masataka Murakami, 61; Sueko Fukumoto, 54; Tomoko, Tomita, 89; Tatsuya Sakamoto, 29; Yoko Miyamori, 55; Yumiko Matsumoto, 68; and Hanae Murakami, 94. Total number of injured individuals is now reported to be more than 800.
Japan Meteorological Agency did not issue a tsunami warning. The earthquake hit about 74 miles northeast of Sendai nuclear plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, but Suga said there were no reported abnormalities in the facilities. Kyushu Electric said that they are monitoring the plant to look for any possible damage or abnormalities.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported an initial magnitude of 6.2, but upgraded it after thorough damage assessment. The Meteorological Agency reported multiple aftershocks that ranged from 3 to 5.7 magnitudes
Meteorological Agency earthquake and tsunami division director Gen Aoki said that more aftershocks are likely to follow.
"Generally speaking, an inland earthquake with the focus relatively near the surface tends to be followed by many aftershocks," said Aoki.
The quake happened just five months after a magnitude-7 quake hit the southern coast of Japan and five years after the magnitude-9 earthquake that claimed thousands of lives.
