Emergency services in Japan rushed to rescue dozens of people feared buried alive on Saturday after two powerful earthquakes that have killed at least 41 people and injured about 1,500.

Homes, roads and railway lines were swept away as the tremors caused whole hillsides to collapsed.

A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck early on Saturday in Kyushu, the most southerly of Japan’s four main islands, killing more than 30 people. It followed a 6.4-magnitude quake on Thursday that killed nine people in the same area.

Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said: “We are aware of multiple locations where people have been buried alive. Police, firefighters and self-defence force [military] personnel are doing all they can to rescue them.”

Rescuers pulled 10 students from a collapsed university dormitory in the town of Minami on Saturday.

One major landslide tore open a mountainside in Minamiaso village in Kumamoto prefecture, destroying a bridge. It appears to have been the area worst hit by the earthquake and four residents were missing.

Another landslide hit a road and toppled a house into a ravine, with other homes standing precariously at the edge of a gaping hole.

Other villages in mountainous parts of Kumamoto have been cut off by landslides and damage to roads.

A collapsed road in Minamiaso following the earthquake. Photograph: STR/AFP/Getty Images

As many as 20,000 rescue personnel will be deployed by Sunday, Suga said. Heavy rainfall and storms threaten to make search and rescue efforts more difficult and trigger further landslides.

Rain began falling at about 3pm local time on Saturday, with torrential downpours anticipated through the night. The Fukuoka Meteorological Agency estimated that between 100mm and 150mm of rain would fall on Kumamoto over the next 24 hours, increasing the risk of landslides.

Japan’s prime minister, Shinzō Abe, said: “Daytime today is the big test. The wind is expected to pick up and rain will likely get heavier. Rescue operations at night will be extremely difficult … it’s a race against time.”

Abe called off a visit to Kumamoto on Saturday after the earthquake struck. “He was scheduled to visit Mashiki but now he does not think that would be the best use of his time,” his office said.

The damaged Aso shrine. Photograph: The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images

More than 200 aftershocks have struck Kumamoto, a city of about 750,000 people that was at the epicentre of Saturday’s earthquake, and the surrounding area. The region rarely experiences the powerful quakes that regularly hit other parts of Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active nations.



Seismologists have warned that more earthquakes of at least 5 in magnitude could strike in the coming days and weeks. Thousands of residents have been forced from their homes, with some deciding to camp out in rice fields or take shelter in public buildings.

More than 400,000 homes were without water and about 100,000 had no power on Saturday.

Troops were setting up tents for evacuees and water trucks were being sent to the area. “The earthquake last night was much worse than the one on Thursday,” said Yumiko Ogata at the Mashiki gymnastics centre, one of the evacuation stations. “People are holding up psychologically, but nobody slept last night.

Boxes of bottled water are unloaded from a Japanese military helicopter. Photograph: Everett Kennedy Brown/EPA

“We need food and we need water. We may just about get through, lunch but we do not have anything for this evening.”

The situation worsened at the centre as the day went on. Food did not arrive and supplies were short. “We have no idea whether or not supplies are on the way. As well as food and water, the rain is coming in and the temperature is going to drop. We need blankets now too,” Ogata said.

The region’s transport network has been considerably damaged, with one tunnel caved in, a highway bridge damaged, roads cut or blocked by landslides and train services halted. Kumamoto airport was also closed.



A historic shrine in the town of Aso was badly hit, and its “cherry blossom” gate completely destroyed. The shrine is designated as a significant cultural property by the government and is a popular tourist attraction.

Britain would support Japan in any way it could, David Cameron said on Saturday. “The UK is following the situation closely and stands ready to support the Japanese response in any way we can,” the prime minister said.