Strong Japan quake leaves 9 dead, over 1,000 injured

TOKYO

Nine people were confirmed dead and more than 1,000 others injured Friday following a strong earthquake in southwestern Japan that collapsed houses and was followed by over 140 aftershocks.

Kyodo news agency reported that no abnormalities were detected at nuclear power plants in the southern Kyushu region after the initial magnitude 6.5 temblor Thursday night.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said late Friday that search efforts had wrapped up, but teams were ordered to "thoroughly conduct life-saving and rescue activities" in case any victims remained trapped.

He was quoted as saying that he would visit the hardest-hit town of Mashiki, in Kumamoto Prefecture, and other impacted areas Saturday.

The Japan Meteorological Agency announced that as of 9 p.m. (1200GMT) Friday, the area had been hit by 147 aftershocks -- the third highest figure in two decades.

It warned that additional tremors were expected in coming days.

Police announced that the number of evacuated people had dropped from 44,400 in the morning to around 7,300 across Kumamoto in the afternoon.

According to Abe, all evacuees were sheltered at safe indoor locations amid weekend forecasts of rain.

According to the Kumamoto police, seven fatalities occurred in Mashiki, where 20 houses collapsed and the initial quake registered 7 on the country’s seismic scale -- marking the first time the highest level was reached since the 2011 tsunami-earthquake that led to the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Of the victims, eight of the fatalities died in toppled houses, while over 1,000 people sustained injuries -- 53 of them serious.