Just one day after a quake that killed at least seven people, a more powerful, magnitude-7.3 earthquake struck the Kyushu region of Japan. At least 41 people have died, per AFP, and hundreds more have been injured.
Powerful earthquake hits southern Japanese city of Kumamoto, day after a tremor there killed at least nine people https://t.co/lB09lFI610
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) April 15, 2016
Japanese broadcaster NHK said that at least 470 people have been injured by the seismic activity early Saturday. A government spokesperson stated that many were still trapped or buried alive by rubble.
More than 90,000 people have been evacuated, AFP reported.
Some 20,000 soldiers will be deployed to the Kumamoto region in southern Japan over the weekend to aide rescue efforts, according to Defense Minister Gen Nakatani.
Shinzo Abe, the Japanese Prime Minister, stated that damage from the earthquake may be “extensive” and urged rescue workers to do their best in helping those trapped.
#KumamotoEarthquake #Japan – road rupture from 2nd big quake in Kyushu, this time in #Aso pic.twitter.com/LdXSFBYrXY
— Robert Ward (@RobertAlanWard) April 15, 2016
Being hit by quakes often, Japan has rigid building codes meaning that they rarely cause damage to the infrastructure. However, there are reports of many collapsed buildings, leaving people trapped underneath, according to The Japan Times. There are reports of at least 60 trapped inside of a nursing home in Mashiki, the town hit hardest by the recent earthquakes.
Not only has the quake caused damage to buildings, but also to the environment. NHK captured aerial footage of a landslide in the village of Minamiaso where massive mud flows and enormous rocks slid down a mountain and into a valley. The landslide cut off a highway, swept away houses, and damaged buildings.
After the magnitude-6.5 earthquake on Thursday, about 44,000 people stayed in shelters for the night.
According to the Japan Meteorological Society officials, these two earthquakes were unusually strong for the Kyushu region.
We have collated helpful information on the #JapanEarthquake into one place: https://t.co/1m9A6xWWJn
— Standby Task Force (@SBTaskForce) April 15, 2016
#BREAKING At least seven dead after second strong Japan earthquake: official
— AFP news agency (@AFP) April 16, 2016
TV stations in #Kumamoto reporting through the aftershocks. #japan #earthquake #KumamotoQuakes pic.twitter.com/uxVDvjHEgn
— Akane Furukawa (@AkaneFurukawa) April 15, 2016
