Japan: 7 casualties in second earthquake.

(Baonghean.vn) – The earthquake in Kumamoto, Japan, on the morning of April 16th killed 5 people and seriously injured 2, bringing the total death toll to 12 as of 9:42 local time.

Following two strong earthquakes, approximately 44,000 people were evacuated from their homes. Photo: AFP

Those killed in this morning's earthquake were mostly people returning home after the city restored power to retrieve essential supplies for evacuation. In addition, many others are believed to be missing after returning home.

Last night's earthquake partially destroyed Kumamoto Hospital, which was receiving many patients from the April 14 earthquake, forcing patients to be transferred to other hospitals.

By 4 a.m. on April 16, the police had received 400 phone calls reporting people trapped in rubble and in need of rescue. Even relatively sturdy buildings in the city, such as the city's People's Committee building, were partially destroyed.

At least two large student dormitories were severely damaged, with many students still trapped under the rubble. Rescue teams have not yet confirmed the number of students trapped in these two dormitories.

According to the Kyushu Regional Power Center, the earthquake did not affect the operation of the Kawauchi nuclear power plant.

According to information from the Japanese meteorological station, as of 9:00 AM local time today, there have been 62 earthquakes and aftershocks with a magnitude of over 3 in the two prefectures of Kumamoto and Oita.

Quach Le Quyen

Osaka, Japan