A strong 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto, southern Japan, on Sunday (28), causing extensive damage. More than 50 people were injured.
Several buildings, including a shopping mall, collapsed or caught fire, and the walls of the historic Kumamoto Castle were damaged, according to foreign media.
About 40,000 homes have lost power and mobile phone services have been disrupted. All train services, including high-speed trains, have been suspended, and the runways at Kumamoto Airport have been closed.
As a precautionary measure, major companies such as Sony and Fujifilm have evacuated their employees from factories. A tsunami warning was issued, but it was later lifted.
However, the country’s government says that nuclear power plants located in the area where the earthquake occurred have not been damaged.