Baku-APA. A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck southern Japan early on Saturday, killing at least 13 people, injuring hundreds more and trapping people in collapsed buildings, media reported, just over a day after a quake killed nine people in the same region.
Authorities warned of damage over a wide area with reports of fires, power outages, collapsed bridges and gaping holes in the earth. Residents near a dam were told to leave because of fears it might crumble, broadcaster NHK said.
Saturday's quake triggered a tsunami advisory, although it was later lifted and no irregularities were reported at three nuclear power plants in the area, a senior government official said. There were at least 50 aftershocks from Saturday's quake, APA reports quoting Reuters.
People still reeling from Thursday's shock poured onto the streets after the Saturday earthquake hit at 1:25 a.m. (12.25 p.m. ET).
TV Asahi showed rescue efforts for what it said were 11 trapped people in a university apartment in the town of Minami Aso.
A fire erupted in a what appeared to be an apartment building in Yatsushiro city, while some people were trapped in a nursing home in the town of Mashiki, according to NHK.
It was reported 13 deaths and 760 people treated in hospitals, but that figure included "people who don't feel well", so it was not clear how many serious injuries there were.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said nearly 80 people were believed trapped or buried in rubble. Extra troops would be sent to help, with up to 15,000 due on Saturday, as well as more police, firefighters and medics, he said.
"We are making every effort to respond," Suga said.
Troops fanned out to search ruined houses as dawn broke.
The epicenter of the quake was near the city of Kumamoto and measured at a shallow depth of 10 kms (6 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. Almost 200,000 households were without power.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, arriving at his office, told reporters the government was making every effort to determine the extent of the damage, carry out rescue and recovery, and to get accurate information to citizens.
"It's possible that there may be damage over a wide area," Abe said.
The Japan Meteorological Agency initially said the Saturday quake was 7.1 magnitude but later revised it up to 7.3. The quake was 22 times more powerful, in terms of energy released, than Thursday's shock, according to the USGS website's "Magnitude Difference Calculator".
The region's transport network suffered considerable damage with one tunnel caved in, a highway bridge damaged, roads blocked by landslips and train services halted, media reported. Kumamoto airport was also closed.
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03:10
Baku-APA. Aftershocks rattled southwestern 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, APA reports quoting Reuters.
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 centers, some spending the night outside after the first quake hit around 9:30 p.m.
Roads cracked, houses crumbled, and tiles cascaded from the roof of the 400-year-old Kumamoto Castle in the center of the city.
Among those pulled from the wreckage was an eight-month-old baby girl, wrapped in a blanket and passed hand to hand by firefighters. Several hospitals had to evacuate patients.
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