Two young women have been confirmed dead after being trapped in a collapsed shopping mall in the city of Kashima. It is unclear how many people are trapped in the rubble, but authorities are reporting at least ten missing, NHK reports. At least six people have been rescued.
A floor in the shopping center collapsed, and witnesses at the scene reported hearing an explosion and seeing smoke rising from the building.
Another person has been confirmed dead in the quake.
Several buildings have been destroyed in connection with the earthquake, NHK reports.
Rescue efforts are underway in several locations on the affected island of Kyushu, where it has been since Wednesday morning. In addition to those missing in the shopping mall, nine people are also missing in a paper mill, the BBC reports.
Several aftershocks have shaken the island and authorities are warning of further tremors.
The quake struck in the afternoon local time at a depth of ten kilometers on the island of Kyushu. The US Geological Survey initially measured the magnitude at 7.1 but later revised it down to 6.8.
A tsunami warning was issued, but it was lifted after less than two hours.
A nuclear power plant, Sendai, near Kashima, is, according to the UN Atomic Energy Agency IAEA, unaffected.
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