"Significant" number of people believed to have died in earthquake in Japan

 

TT

 

Published 09:45Updated 13:45

  

An aerial view of the damaged shopping mall in Kashima in southern Japan on Tuesday. Photo: /AP/TT

A "significant" number of people are believed to have died in a strong earthquake in the Japanese city of Kashima, reports the television channel TBS.

The deaths are believed to have occurred when part of a floor collapsed.

Many people are trapped inside the shopping mall, according to the rescue service. Witnesses on the scene say they heard an explosion and saw smoke rising from the building.

Several buildings have collapsed in connection with the earthquake, reports the public service company NHK. According to earlier information, at least 50 people have been taken to hospital.

The earthquake occurred in the afternoon local time at a depth of ten kilometers on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan. The US Geological Survey (USGS) initially measured the magnitude at 7.1 but later revised it down to 6.8.

A tsunami warning was issued after the quake, which was lifted less than two hours later.

The earthquake was measured at the highest possible level on the country's own Shindo scale. According to the country's meteorological agency JMA, shaking of that intensity makes it impossible to stand up, Bloomberg reports.