ALBAWABA - A major earthquake has hit southern Japan leaving major roads ruptured, rail and air services suspended, and close to 50,000 homes without power. Japanese authorities warn of strong aftershocks continuing for a week.
The earthquake hit Japan's southern Kumamoto prefecture causing a tsunami warning to be issued in the prefecture and then later lifted.
The shock took out power and infrastructure, injuring 50 people and leaving people stranded in their homes with no electricity; with a significant amount of people trapped in a shopping mall, according to reports.
Speaking from her office, Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi stated that the number of casualties and the extent of the damage is still being assessed.
"We have already been informed that people have been injured. Power outages and fires have occurred in some areas, and there has also been damage to roads and bridges and the collapse of buildings," Takaichi said.
"I ask everyone to take action to protect themselves, including evacuating to a safe location."
Extent of the damage
One hospital reported 50 injuries, among them several people who had been on a high speed train at the time of the earthquake.
A significant number of people were trapped in the Aeon shopping mall, near which an explosion occurred after the earthquake, the cause of which was still unclear to officials.
One bystander said he heard the explosion and looked up to see "A large cloud of smoke billowed up – the area around us was in a state like volcanic ash was falling."
The world's largest contract chipmaker, TSMC, evacuated workers from its plant in the area as a precaution, according to a spokesperson from the firm. Sony and Fujifilm followed with evacuating their own workers.
Japan’s disaster management agency ordered 300,000 to move to evacuation centers, adding that residents must beware of further strong quakes and landslides for a week.
Kyushu Electric Power said that 48,000 lost power to their homes, along with disruptions to mobile phone services, according to telecom operators KDDI and Docomo.
The city’s main castle attraction, a top tourist site, has suffered as well, with a portion of its walls collapsing due to the heavy shocks.
The quake’s epicenter was about 20 kilometers south of Kumamoto, central Kyushu island's largest city with a population of around 700,000.
