An earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale shook japan on Tuesday afternoon, triggering emergency warnings and prompting authorities to assess the extent of the damage. The Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan's southern island of Kyushu was the worst affected due to the quake's epicentre being close to it.
According to Japan's public broadcaster, NHK, many people were trapped inside an Aeon shopping mall damaged by the earthquake. An explosion is also said to have rocked the mall in Kashima Town.
Some are said to be dead in the blast at the company said the police, as reported by Reuters. While close to 50 people have been hospitalised after the quake hit the country.
Extent of injuries and property damage being assessed
"We are still assessing the extent of injuries and property damage, but I have been informed that there have already been several injuries," Takaichi said.
"Power outages and fires are happening in some areas, and roads and bridges have been damaged and buildings collapsed," she added.
Trending Stories
A temporary warning of Tsunami was raised when the earthquake struck but the threat subsided and Japan's coastline was no longer in danger.
"This earthquake occurred inland, and no tsunami activity has been observed so far," a spokesperson for the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. "For this reason, we hope to lift the tsunami advisory at a relatively early stage, depending on future sea level conditions."
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake also struck northern Japan on June 25 but caused no deaths or major damage.
Japan remains one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, experiencing around 1,500 earthquakes every year.

&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)