FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

The VICE Guide to Right Now

Nine Dead as a Magnitude 6.5 Earthquake Hits Southern Japan

The tremor struck 11 kilometres from the city of Kumamoto on Thursday evening. Some 44,400 people have been evacuated as aftershocks continue.

The following images are from around the town of Mashiki. All images via.

A magnitude-6.5 earthquake hit southern Japan overnight, killing a confirmed nine people and injuring 765 more. Japanese Meteorological Authority officials have said the quake was unusually strong for the area, on Japan's southernmost island of Kyushu.

The quake struck at 9:26 PM (GMT+9) on April 14 just outside of Kumamoto, the island's third largest city.

Authorities have set up 500 shelters around the prefecture, which are currently housing some 44,400 people evacuated from their homes. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has deployed 1,600 soldiers to the area, as well as police, emergency services, and firefighters.

Advertisement

The quake is the largest in Japan since 2011, sometimes known as the Great Japanese Earthquake, which triggered the tsunami that damaged the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. At this stage, Japanese authorities are reporting there is no tsunami risk.

Government spokesperson Yoshihide Suga said Electric Power Co.'s Sendai nuclear plant on Kyushu, the only nuclear facility still operating in Japan after Fukushima, wasn't affected by the quake.

The town of Mashiki, home to more than 30,000 people, was the hardest hit. It registered a 7 on Japan's earthquake intensity scale, the country's highest possible level. More than 20 homes in the town have collapsed. Officials warn that more people could be in danger, trapped under collapsed buildings.

"There was a ka-boom and the whole house shook violently sideways," Takahiko Morita, a Mashiki resident told Japan's national news agency NHK. "Furniture and bookshelves fell down, and books were all over the floor."

All shinkansen rail services have been suspended in the area following the quake, as authorities warn of continued aftershocks.