A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake has struck Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu.
The Prime Minister says authorities are assessing casualties and damage, with reports of injuries, fires, damaged roads and bridges, and collapsed buildings.
More than 300,000 people have been told to evacuate and 3,600 soldiers are expected to be deployed for disaster recovery efforts.
According to BBC News, officials said the quake caused “no damage or safety issues” at the Sendai nuclear power plant, which is located about 100 kilometres from the epicentre.
Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, with a tremor occurring at least every five minutes.
