A powerful 7.3-magnitude has struck southern Japan near the city of Kumamoto, just over a day after a strong but smaller earthquake shook the same region, seismologists say. The latest earthquake has killed multiple people and injured hundreds.
The earthquake, which struck at 1:25 a.m. local time on Saturday, was centered about 1 kilometer (0.5 mile) southwest of Kumamoto. It struck about 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) deep, making it a very shallow earthquake.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) put the preliminary magnitude of Saturday's earthquake at 7.3, a significant increase from its initial estimate of 7.0. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) put its preliminary magnitude at 7.0, with a further revision likely.
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