On Tuesday, a powerful earthquake struck the southern Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan, leaving thousands of homes without power, damaging roads, halting train services, closing an airport, and injuring at least 50 people, UNN reports citing Reuters.
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Speaking to reporters at his office in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the number of casualties and the extent of damage from the magnitude 7.1 earthquake are still being assessed.
"We have already been informed that people have been injured," Takaichi said. "In some areas, there have been power outages and fires, as well as damage to roads and bridges, and building collapses."
According to public broadcaster NHK, one hospital reported more than 50 injured. Several people on a bullet train at the time of the earthquake were also injured, the Nikkei newspaper reports.
Several buildings have been damaged, including the Aeon shopping center, where NHK reported an explosion, and broadcaster footage also shows other buildings on fire or partially collapsed. An Aeon spokesperson did not immediately comment on the situation.
According to NHK, large cracks appeared on major roads, including an elevated highway, and a freight train derailed, while rail services were suspended and flights canceled.
TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, evacuated workers from its factory in the area as a precautionary measure, a company spokesperson said.
Sony and Fujifilm also evacuated personnel from their factories in the area, the Nikkei newspaper reports. A Sony spokesperson earlier said it was checking the situation.
The disaster management agency said more than 150,000 people have been instructed to go to evacuation centers.
Residents of areas that felt the strongest tremors should be wary of further strong earthquakes for about a week, as well as the risk of landslides, a representative of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
The Japanese government issued emergency earthquake warnings for the prefectures of Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, and Miyazaki, all on the southern island of Kyushu in Japan. The JMA also initially issued a tsunami warning for a 1-meter wave, but later canceled it.
Kyushu Electric Power said about 40,000 homes were left without power as a result of the latest earthquake, while railway company JR Kyushu said it had suspended services, including bullet trains. Kumamoto Airport also closed its runway, with airlines diverting and canceling flights.
Telecommunications operators KDDI and Docomo reported mobile communication disruptions due to power shortages and power line failures.
According to Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority, no irregularities have been reported at nuclear power plants in the area.
According to official data, a powerful earthquake in Kumamoto 10 years ago claimed the lives of 275 people and injured another 2,739, as well as damaging thousands of buildings, including the city's castle, a major tourist attraction.
Some parts of the castle's stone walls also collapsed as a result of Tuesday's earthquake, an official from the castle office said.
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Japan is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, where earthquakes occur at least every 5 minutes. Located along the "Ring of Fire" of volcanoes and oceanic trenches that partially surround the Pacific Basin, Japan accounts for about 20% of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater.