At least five people have died and nine are missing after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Japan on Tuesday. The quake, which registered a maximum 7 on the Japanese shindo intensity scale, hit Kumamoto prefecture on the southern Kyushu island at 4:27 PM.
Hundreds of people were injured, and tens of thousands of households lost power and water. Rescue crews are searching through wreckage, including a paper mill in Yatsushiro where a chimney collapsed, and an Aeon shopping mall where an explosion was reported.
The Japanese military has mobilised 3,600 personnel and 20 aircraft for disaster relief. The Japan Meteorological Agency has warned that areas affected by the tremors remain at risk of further strong quakes and landslides for approximately a week, with more than 60 aftershocks already recorded.
Japan's Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, stated that authorities are assessing the damage, noting power outages, fires, damage to roads and bridges, and building collapses. Approximately 300,000 people have been instructed to go to evacuation centres.