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  Aftershocks rattle Japan as quake kills 9

Aftershocks rattle Japan as quake kills 9

REUTERS
Published : Apr 16, 2016, 6:16 am IST
Updated : Apr 16, 2016, 6:16 am IST

Over 130 more tremors felt

A collapsed house in the town of Mashiki in Japan’s Kumamoto prefecture on Friday. — AFP,AP
 A collapsed house in the town of Mashiki in Japan’s Kumamoto prefecture on Friday. — AFP,AP

Over 130 more tremors felt

Aftershocks rattled south-western Japan on Friday after a strong quake the night before killed nine people, injured at least 1,000 and cut power and water across the region, forcing the temporary shutdown of several auto and electronics factories.

By afternoon, more than 130 aftershocks had hit the area around the city of Kumamoto in the wake of the initial 6.4 magnitude quake the night before. Officials said the frequency was tapering off but the risk of further strong aftershocks will remain for about a week.

While the magnitude of Thursday’s quake was much lower than that of the 9.0 March 11, 2011 quake that touched off a massive tsunami and nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima, the intensity was similar because it struck on land and at a much shallower depth.

“We managed to huddle into a space, that’s why we were saved,” one man told NHK national television after he and his family were rescued from their collapsed house two hours after the quake hit. “We’re all safe, that’s what counts.”

More than 44,000 people initially fled to schools and community centres, some spending the night outside after the first quake hit around 9.30 pm.

Roads cracked, houses crumbled, and tiles cascaded from the roof of the 400-year-old Kumamoto Castle in the centre of the city.

Japanese stocks ended down 0.4 per cent, with the impact of the quake limited primarily to regional shares that could experience some direct impact.

More than 3,000 troops, police personnel and firemen were dispatched to the area from around Japan, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said more would be sent if needed.

“We will do everything in our power to ensure the safety of local residents,” Mr Abe said to a parliamentary committee.

Most of the dead came from Mashiki, a town of around 34,000 people near the epicentre of the quake, where firefighters battled a blaze late on Thursday.

Daylight showed splintered houses under tiled roofs and an apartment building whose ground floor was pulverised, where two people died.

Location: Japan, Tokyo-to, Tokyo