Feature: Quake-hit Mashiki town in S.W. Japan severely damaged, rescue ongoing

Rescue operations are underway on Friday in the town of Mashiki of the Kumamoto Prefecture in the southwestern Japan after several strong quakes struck the Kyushu region late on Thursday and early on Friday, leaving nine dead, more than 1,000 injured and about 7,700 taking shelters in the prefecture as of Friday evening.

Main ways heading to Mashiki town were congested with firetrucks, ambulances, disaster-relieving vehicles belong to the Self-Defense Forces and many roads inside were covered by rubbles and broken glasses.

A local resident Ogata, 75, told Xinhua that roads in front of his house were destroyed in the quakes as parts were bulged around 10 centimeters and cracked.

He planned to stay in his car for a night and go to his relatives' houses in the coming days due to worries over the aftershocks.

Warning more aftershocks would occur in the coming days, including major ones, the Japan Meteorological Agency said some 130 aftershocks had jolted the area after the major quakes.

The first quake measured at 6.5 magnitude, with a very shallow epicenter, shook the entire Kyushu area at 9:26 p.m. local time on Thursday, marking the first one that logged at the highest level of seven in the Japanese seismic intensity scale of seven after the monstrous tremblor in March 2011.

An earthquake measured at 5.7 magnitude and another 6.4 magnitude tremblor attacked the same area after the first strike. Fires broke out in the town and about 20 buildings collapsed and more damage with in the Mashiki town.

"My wife and I were sleeping at that time and the quake prompted us to rush out of our house and ran to the public shelter," said Ogata, whose house was damaged with cabinets and other things in his house fell down and windows were broken.

Over 44,000 people were taking shelters in 19 cities in the region after the powerful quakes and the number was down to about 7,700 as of Friday night, according to Japan's public broadcaster NHK.

As the quakes forced businesses in the town closed, alongside with blackout and water supply shutdown, local authorities have set up temporary water and food distribution stations in the town office which was also damaged in the disaster and other public shelters.

In Kumamoto city, the famous Kumamoto Castle, a Japanese national culture heritage, was also devastated. Parts of its stone walls collapsed and the roof of the tenshukaku, the main building of Japanese traditional castle, was broken.

The castle was closed on Friday and a staff in the castle told Xinhua that the 6.5-magnitude quake was the most powerful one he experienced and the tremor lasted about five minutes.

"I couldn't stand steady if I didn't hold on something fixed on the wall," he said.

The JMA also warned locals to be vigilant over upcoming torrential rain on Saturday that may triggered landslide in the region.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was reportedly to pay a visit to Mashiki town on Saturday.

"With aftershocks still continuing and forecasts that the weather will get worse from tomorrow, I want you to do your best to minimize risks from a (potential) secondary disaster," Abe told a meeting with cabinet ministers involved in the government response Friday.

More than 3,000 police, firefighters and SDF members has deployed to the Kumamoto Prefecture for disaster relief. An eight-month-old baby was rescued from the rubbles early Friday. Endit