Reuters. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi urged residents in Kumamoto Prefecture to evacuate and stay vigilant after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit southern Japan on Tuesday (July 28).
The powerful quake knocked out power to thousands of homes, ruptured roads and left some trapped inside a partially collapsed shopping mall.
Speaking at a task force meeting for emergency disaster response in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said authorities were still assessing the full extent of the damage in the area, which was devastated by a deadly quake a decade ago.
"I ask everyone to take action to protect themselves, including evacuating to a safe location,” Takaichi said.
"The Takaichi administration will do our utmost. We will respond with the full force of the government, prioritising human lives above all else," she added.
Around 300,000 people have been instructed to go to evacuation centres, and hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to help with rescue operations as aftershocks continued to rumble in the area, on Japan's southern island of Kyushu.
