TOKYO (AFP)
"Many people" were feared trapped in a stricken shopping mall in Japan late on Tuesday, authorities said, after a major earthquake toppled buildings, sparked fires and reportedly injured more than 100.
Private broadcaster TBS reported that a "considerable number" were feared dead inside the mall in the town of Kashima after the fire brigade said that the second floor collapsed in the 7.1-magnitude tremor.
Public broadcaster NHK cited police sources as saying that between 20 and 30 employees could not be contacted, showing footage of emergency vehicles with flashing red lights outside.
Police told AFP they could not confirm any fatalities inside the building. Kyodo News reported that four people had been taken to hospital, all of them conscious.
One person was killed when a house collapsed during the quake, Kyodo reported.
Footage elsewhere in the southwestern Kumamoto region on the island of Kyushu aired by NHK earlier showed several blazes, damaged bridges, a derailed cargo train and a number of houses threatening to topple over.
A succession of aftershocks followed, including one with a magnitude of 6.1 at 5:08 pm.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) determined the magnitude of the quake -- one of hundreds that strike Japan every year -- at 6.8. The vast majority cause little damage.
Many roads were closed and high-speed shinkansen train services were suspended in the region. Kumamoto airport was closed before being re-opened on Tuesday evening.
Two hospitals reported taking in at least 50 injured patients each, NHK said.
Power outages, fires
"We are still assessing the extent of injuries and property damage, but I have been informed that there have already been several injuries," Prime Miniser Sanae Takaichi said earlier.
"Power outages and fires are happening in some areas, and roads and bridges have been damaged and buildings collapsed," she said.
The Japanese military has mobilised 3,600 personnel for disaster relief operations and sent 20 aircraft to assess the damage from the air, the defence minister said.
The JMA initially issued an alert for a possible tsunami of up to one metre (three feet), but withdrew the warning at around 6:10 pm.
Unverified footage shared on social media showed parts of a wall at the centuries-old Kumamoto Castle collapsing.
Japan is one of the world's most seismically active countries, sitting on top of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific "Ring of Fire".
The archipelago, home to around 125 million people, typically experiences hundreds of jolts every year and accounts for about 18 percent of the world's earthquakes.