Death Toll Rises After Two Earthquakes Rattle Southern Japan
MASHIKI, Japan (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Southern Japan is reeling this morning after two deadly earthquakes in two days, leaving at least 32 killed and 1,500 others injured.
The powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck southern Japan in the Kumamoto region early Saturday morning. It hit barely 24 hours after a deadly quake shook the area.
On Thursday night, a magnitude 6.5 quake killed nine people and injured more than 800.
Japanese rescue crews made their way into one home, looking for survivors of the early morning quake, CBS' Danielle Nottingham reported. Papers, office supplies and computer shook and toppled over when the quake hit at around 1:30 a.m.
The earthquake triggered a landslide, cracking and crumbling roads and sliding homes off their foundations. The force buckled pillars of one apartment, crushing cars parked beneath it.
Hundreds of people have lined up for rations at shelters before nightfall, bracing for rainfall and strong winds that may set off more devastating mudslides in Japan's earthquake-struck southern region.
Local stores quickly ran out of stock and shuttered their doors Saturday, and people said they were worried about running out of food.
Ayuko Sakamoto, who was among those in line for the food, said: ``I could hear the noise of all my dishes come crashing down, the rattling, and I was shocked and sad, now I've lost all my dishes.''
Elsewhere on the southwestern island of Kyushu, the military also cooked rice and soup outdoors for those who had evacuated or were not able to cook in their homes.
Scientists say the smaller quake was actually a "foreshock" and triggered the larger one.
"About 5 to 10 percent of the time the earthquake that's triggered gets bigger than the first one and then we change the name and call the first one the foreshock and the other the main shock," Lucy Jones, a seismologist, said.
Scientists say there's a 50 percent chance of at least a magnitude 6 aftershock hitting the same area of Japan in the next few days.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
