"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."
Aftershocks rattle southwestern Japan after quake kills nine(Reuters)
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.
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 centres,
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 centre 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.
Japanese
stocks ended down 0.4 percent, with the impact of the quake limited
primarily to regional shares that could experience some direct impact.
Regional utility Saibu Gas Co Ltd finished 2.7 percent lower.
Several companies, including Honda Motor Corp, suspended operations at plants in the area.
More
than 3,000 troops, police and firemen were dispatched to the area from
around Japan, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said more would be sent if
needed.
"We will do everything in our power to ensure the safety of local residents," Abe told a parliamentary committee.
Most
of the dead came from Mashiki, a town of around 34,000 people near the
epicentre of the quake, where firefighters battled a blaze late on
Thursday. Daylight showed splintered houses under tiled roofs and an
apartment building whose ground floor was pulverized, where two people
died.
"I want to go home, but we couldn't do anything there," one boy at an evacuation centre told TBS television as he bounced a baby in his arms.
Though
the intensity of Thursday's quake on the Japanese scale matched that of
the March 2011 quake that left nearly 20,000 dead, the absence of a
tsunami helped keep the death toll down.
Service
on the Shinkansen superfast train in Kyushu was halted after one train
derailed, and highways were closed after some sections collapsed. About
12,200 households were without electricity as of 12 p.m. (0500 GMT),
according to Kyushu Electric Power Co Inc, while some 58,000 lacked
water.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority said there
were no irregularities at three nuclear plants on the southern major
island of Kyushu and nearby Shikoku.
Sony Corp, Mitsubishi Electric Corp and tire maker Bridgestone Corp also suspended operations at factories in the area.
The
2011 quake temporarily crippled part of Japan's auto supply chain, but
some companies have since adjusted the industry's "Just in Time"
production philosophy in a bid to limit any repeat of the costly
disruption.
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