A magnitude 6.4 tremor that hit Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan damaged homes and caused fires (Photo : You Tube/Frog4System)
Japan has been struck by a strong earthquake on April 14 at around 9:26 p.m. Various sources revealed that the 6.4 magnitude quake had toppled houses and few buildings around Kumamoto Prefecture and the nearby island of Kyushu.
According to ABC News, the epicenter was located at 120 kilometers northeast of Sendai nuclear plant which is still active. Fortunately, the two nuclear reactors did not suffer any damage that would endanger the residents close by. Three other reactors in Genkai were closed down for inspection.
As for the casualties, nine have already been confirmed dead and rescuers feared that many are still trapped inside the flattened homes in Mashinki, one of the towns in Kumamoto Prefecture. Fires also broke out in the area and at least one person died in the flames.
The authorities did not issue any tsunami warning but people were told to stay away from buildings. Information on the exact extent of damage, deaths and number of the injured are not yet available but reports are steadily coming in one by one.
Commenting on how powerful the quake was, the disaster planning official at Kumamoto city hall Tatsuya Ichino said, "The violent, scary shaking was like nothing I had ever experienced."
A major aftershock was felt in the area at around 10:07 p.m. According to Japan's Meteorological agency, the jolt measured an intensity of 5.7 on the Japanese scale. More aftershocks followed but the intensities were reported to have become weaker.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered the immediate set-up of emergency headquarters and facilities. A news conference was also hastily arranged so that people could be assured that help is underway.
As of this time, the tally for the injured people who were brought to three different hospitals already reached 280. The electricity supply to almost 16,000 homes were cut off and 38,000 are without gas so at least 1,800 residents have left their residences and currently staying in evacuation centers.
Last night's earthquake in Kumamoto is the first high intensity temblor to happen since the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011. The disaster triggered massive tsunami, landslides, claimed about 16,000 lives and left Tohoku region totally destroyed, Bloomberg reported.
Watch the actual shaking as seen from inside the NHK newsroom in Kumamoto:
