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WORLD NEWSSaturday 16 April 2016

2nd strong quake hits southern Japan; some reported trappedÂ

EMILY WANG Riot policemen examine the damage of houses collapsed by an earthquake in Mashiki, Kuma- ing damage to the north-
MARI YAMAGUCHI moto prefecture, southern Japan. east. Chief Cabinet Secre-
Associated Press tary Yoshihide Suga, in an
MASHIKI, Japan (AP) — A (Shingo Nishizume/Kyodo News via AP) emergency news confer-
powerful earthquake with ence early Saturday, said
a preliminary magnitude of dent, apparently rescued Saturday’s quake shook the ed less than an hour later. more than 300 calls came
7.3 struck southern Japa- from underneath a col- Kumamoto region at 1:25 The agency upgraded the in to the Kumamoto police
nearly Saturday, barely 24 lapsed house, on a stretch- a.m. Saturday, and several magnitude to 7.3 from an and another 100 to police
hours after a smaller quake er being taken to a hospital aftershocks soon followed. initial reading of 7.1. Com- in nearby Oita, seeking
hit the same region and by ambulance. Japan’s Meteorological pared to the temblor that help and reporting people
killed 10 people. Meanwhile, the Kumamoto Agency issued an advisory struck late Thursday night trapped or buried under-
It was not immediately prefecture reported that a for a tsunami up to 1 me- just south of Mashiki, the neath debris.
clear whether the lat- tenth person had died in ter (3 feet) high along the most recent quake and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,
est quake increased the the 6.5 magnitude quake coast west of the epicenter aftershocks appeared to looking tired, said dam-
death toll, but authorities that struck late Thursday. in Kumamoto, but it was lift- be moving east, spread- age from the magnitude
said hundreds of calls had 7.3 quake could be “ex-
come in from residents re- tensive” and urged rescue
porting people trapped workers to do their utmost
inside houses and build- to help those trapped in
ings. The Fire and Disaster the rubble.
Management Agency said Sirens of patrol vehicles
66 people were trapped could be heard in the
inside a nursing home in background as NHK re-
Mashiki, the hardest-hit ported from Mashiki. The
town, and rescue efforts asphalt outside the town
were underway. No other hall had a new crack, ap-
details were immediately parently made by the lat-
available. est earthquake. In nearby
More than 400 people Uto City, police reported
were treated at hospitals, that the City Hall building
but most of their injuries appeared to be unsafe
were not life-threatening, because of damage.
the Japanese broadcast- The Nuclear Regulation Au-
er NHK said, citing its own thority said no abnormali-
tally. Video showed a resi- ties were found at the Sen-
dai nuclear plant, where
China 2nd ranking general visits disputed islands the only two of Japan’s 43
reactors are online. NHK
C. BODEEN say when and where Fan, a does not include a stop sand and building airstrips video showed stones tum-
Associated Press vice chairman of the Cen- in China. and other infrastructure. bled from the walls of his-
BEIJING (AP) — Chi- tral Military Commission In reporting on Fan’s visit, The Philippines, Vietnam toric Kumamoto Castle,
na’s second-ranking gener- that controls the People’s the ministry said China had and others also claim terri- and a wooden structure in
al recently visited the coun- Liberation Army, visited. completed work on five tory controlled or claimed the complex was smashed,
try’s man-made islands The announcement comes lighthouses, four of which by China, and increased adding to damage from
in the South China Sea, after China issued an an- are now operational military and coast guard Thursday’s quake.
the Defense Ministry said gry response to what it says , in the Spratlys, saying deployments by all sides At the Ark Hotel, east of the
Friday, underscoring Chi- are provocative plans an- those were built to “pro- could increase the poten- castle, hotel guests woke
na’s defiance in the face of nounced vide a public service for tial for conflict. up to strong shaking and
calls by the U.S. and others Thursday that the U.S. would the international commu- Late Thursday, a warning siren. Hotel staff
to cease construction work send troops and planes to nity.” Work on a weather the Defense Ministry said told guests, including tour-
that they say is raising ten- the Philippines for more fre- station, ocean monitoring that Beijing would “reso- ists and journalists covering
sions in the region. quent rotations and will in- center, oceanographic lutely defend” its sover- the quake, to evacuate
According to the brief crease joint sea and air pa- equipment and other facili- eignty and maritime in- their rooms and gather in
statement, Gen. Fan Chan- trols with Philippine forces in ties was also “proceeding terests while accusing the the lobby for safety.
glong led a group of military the South China Sea. smoothly,” the report said. Philippines and U.S. of mili- Thursday’s weaker mag-
commanders to the Spratly U.S. Defense Secretary Ash China claims virtually the tarizing the region and har- nitude 6.5 earthquake
island group to visit troops Carter was also visiting an entire South China Sea as boring a “Cold War men- brought down buildings
and observe construction aircraft carrier Friday dur- its own territory and is top- tality” by strengthening and injured about 800
work. The statement didn’t ing a trip to the region that ping the islands by piling their alliance.q people, in addition to the
10 deaths. q