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Agence France-Presse

A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s southwestern island of Kyushu on Thursday, but there was no danger of a tsunami, local authorities said.
But injuries, house collapses and fires were all reported – mainly in Kumamoto Prefecture, local authorities added.
The quake, which the US Geological Survey measured at 6.0 struck at 9.26pm local time in Kumamoto, central Kyushu at a relatively shallow depth of 10km, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The quake was followed about 30 minutes later by another smaller one with a magnitude of 5.7, the agency said. That quake also did not generate a tsunami warning.
WATCH: Earthquake sends office workers hiding under desks as shaking felt across Kumamoto

Massive 6.4 Earthquake Strucks Kumamoto #Japan Update coming on https://t.co/VwFtVtsYFD pic.twitter.com/kCnsqIeSTj
— Mikado Shimbun (@MikadoShimbun) April 14, 2016

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According to police and firefighters, more than 10 homes have collapsed in and around Mashiki, with several people trapped under debris, including one who has lost consciousness. A fire has also broken out in the town.
A man in Saga City in neighbouring Saga Prefecture incurred injuries in his home in the quake, Saga prefectural police said.
Five years after Japan’s tsunami, orphan victims lament their lost parents
In nearby prefectures, no abnormalities have been found at the Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture or the Genkai nuclear power plant in Saga Prefecture, according to operator Kyushu Electric Power and the Nuclear Regulation Authority.

Kumamoto Castle has taken some damage. pic.twitter.com/TeORKgM5tc
— Nippon.com (@nippon_en) April 14, 2016

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Bullet train operations on the Sanyo Shinkansen Line were temporarily suspended within Kyushu following the quake, while Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways said runway inspections are being carried out at several Kyushu airports, with no effect on flights.
Traffic is stopped on some expressways in Kumamoto and Miyazaki Prefectures, including parts of the Kyushu Expressway, according to Kumamoto prefectural police.
From Hiroshima to Fukushima: the big picture on Japan’s tsunami tragedy
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on authorities to spare no effort in evaluating and responding to damage from the quake and communicating information to the public.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga called on affected people to remain calm and help each other at a press conference on Thursday night.
Defence Minister Gen Nakatani said at a press conference that Self-Defence Forces aeroplanes and helicopters have been dispatched to the quake-hit area to ascertain the extent of damage.
The weather agency said the quake is the first to be recorded as a level 7 on the Japanese seismic scale since the earthquake and tsunami disaster in northeast Japan on March 11, 2011.

Cameras set up by NHK showed violent shaking at the time of the quake, which was felt throughout Kyushu.
Japanese media reported that shinkansen, or bullet, train service was halted on the island.
NHK showed some damage including broken concrete. Residents stood outside making calls on mobile phones.

An official at the Sendai nuclear plant in Kyushu, who declined to be named, said the plant was operating normally but that officials were checking for any abnormalities.
Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences around 20 per cent of the world’s most powerful earthquakes.
But rigid building codes and strict enforcement mean even powerful tremors frequently do little damage.
A massive undersea quake that hit on March 11, 2011, sent a tsunami barrelling into Japan’s northeast coast, leaving about 18,500 people dead or missing, and sending several reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant in the worst atomic accident in a generation.

Strong 6.4-magnitude quake hits southwestern Japan, injuries, damages reported

A woman collects fallen dishes at a restaurant after an earthquake in Kumamoto, southern Japan, April 14, 2016. Photo: Kyodo

epa05258553 A handout shakemap provided by the US Geological Survey (USGS) on 14 April 2016 of a 6.0 magnitude earthquake (indicated by a star, C) detected in Kumamoto prefecture, southern Japan, 14 April 2016. According to initial reports by USGS, Japan was hit by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake. EPA/US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY/HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Shelves have toppled at the Kyodo News Agency bureau in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, on the evening of April 14, 2016, after a strong quake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 shook the area. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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