Story highlights
- At least 32 have died; bad weather hampers rescue efforts
- Earthquakes hit Kyushu region
- A series of aftershocks followed as rescuers search for survivors
Tokyo, Japan (CNN)Heavy
rains were expected through Sunday after Japan's Kyushu region was
struck by twin earthquakes, hampering the search for survivors and
forcing nervous residents into crowded evacuation centers.
At
least 32 people have died in the latest Kyushu earthquake, according to
Kumamoto Prefecture's disaster management office. The magnitude-7.0
quake hit early Saturday.
Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe described the search for survivors in piles of
rubble as a "race against the clock," noting that bad weather had
conspired with the devastating quake, its aftershocks and the threat of
landslides to make a dire situation worse.
At least 23 people are buried inside buildings, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.
"We're racing against the clock," Abe said. "(We) will provide more personnel if necessary."
Japan quakes by the numbers
Deaths linked to Thursday's quake: 9
Deaths linked to Saturday's: 32
Total deaths: 41
Total injured: 968
Evacuated: More than 91,700
Homes destroyed: 90
Homes damaged: 775
Timeline:
Thursday at 9:26 p.m.: 6.2-quake about 4.3 miles from the city of Ueki
Friday at 12:03 a.m.: 6.0-quake hits about 3.7 miles east of Uto.
Saturday at 1:25 a.m.: 7.0-quake hits about 0.6 miles from Kumamoto-shi.
Sources: Kumamoto Prefecture's disaster management office; USGS.
Deaths linked to Saturday's: 32
Total deaths: 41
Total injured: 968
Evacuated: More than 91,700
Homes destroyed: 90
Homes damaged: 775
Timeline:
Thursday at 9:26 p.m.: 6.2-quake about 4.3 miles from the city of Ueki
Friday at 12:03 a.m.: 6.0-quake hits about 3.7 miles east of Uto.
Saturday at 1:25 a.m.: 7.0-quake hits about 0.6 miles from Kumamoto-shi.
Sources: Kumamoto Prefecture's disaster management office; USGS.
Residents
were already edgy after a 6.2. quake rattled the area two days earlier,
killing nine people. The combined death toll has reached 41. Both earthquakes left 968 people injured, according to the disaster management office.
"This is worst thing that could happen to us," said Shigeru Morita, an official in the town of Mashiki, Kumamoto Prefecture.
The
latest and most powerful earthquake struck near the city of Kumamoto,
toppling buildings and bridges, shredding sections of landmarks into
piles of debris, and sending frightened residents fleeing from their
homes and into the night.
Thursday's earthquake hit near Ueki city, just 15 kilometers away.
"The
first earthquake was very big," said Osamu Yoshizumi, the senior chief
of international affairs in Kumamoto. "We thought it was the big one."
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