Powerful quakes strike Japan
A powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck southern Japan at 1:25 a.m. local time in the Kumamoto region April 16, 2016, barely 24 hours after a smaller quake hit the same region. The epicenter of the second earthquake was about 8 miles northwest of Thursday's. Scores of people were feared buried alive.
Authorities said at least 42 people had died and nearly 1,100 were injured in the two quakes that hit the region near Kumamoto city late Thursday and early Sunday.
Here, collapsed houses and damaged cars are seen in Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture on April 16, 2016.
Japan earthquake
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers conduct search and rescue operation at a collapsed house after a landslide caused by an earthquake in Minamiaso town, Kumamoto prefecture, April 17, 2016.
Japan earthquake
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force troops search for victims buried in a landslide due to the recent earthquakes in the village of Minami-Aso in Kumamoto prefecture on April 18, 2016.
Rescuers intensified efforts on April 18 to find 10 people still missing in a devastated village, with time running out more than two days after Japan's double quake disaster which unleashed landslides and collapsed buildings.
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A message is formed by chairs reading "(Toilet) Paper, Bread, Water and SOS" on a playground at Kumamoto Kokufu High School after an earthquake in Kumamoto, southern Japan, in this aerial photo, April 17, 2016.
Japan earthquake
Police officers conduct a search and rescue operation at the site of a collapsed house and landslide site in Minamiaso town, Kumamoto prefecture, April 17, 2016.
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A son helps his mother as they leave their collapsed house at a landslide site where his father is missing in Minamiaso town, Kumamoto prefecture, April 17, 2016.
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Evacuees from a nursing home wrap themselves in blankets as they take shelter outside their damaged nursing home in Mashiki town, Kumamoto prefecture, April 17, 2016.
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Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers conduct search and rescue operations at an apartment which collapsed following an earthquake in Minamiaso town, Kumamoto prefecture, April 17, 2016.
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A woman surveys the scene in front of collapsed house in Mashiki town, Kumamoto prefecture, April 16, 2016.
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The aftermath of a landslide shows destroyed houses in Minamiaso town, Kumamoto prefecture, southern Japan, April 16, 2016.
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Local residents look at cracks caused by an earthquake on a road in Mashiki town, Kumamoto prefecture, southern Japan, April 16, 2016.
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This aerial view shows a landslide after an earthquake in Minami-Aso, Kumamoto prefecture on April 16, 2016.
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An aerial view of a landslide after an earthquake in Minami-Aso, Kumamoto prefecture on April 16, 2016.
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Cracks caused by an earthquake is seen at a parking lot in Minamiaso town, Kumamoto prefecture, April 16, 2016.
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Rescue workers conduct a search-and-rescue operation at the site of a landslide in Minamiaso town, Kumamoto prefecture, April 16, 2016.
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Parents weep after learning that their daughter was found dead at their collapsed house in Mashiki town, Kumamoto prefecture, April 16, 2016.
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Romon gate (bottom right), designated as a nationally important cultural property, and other buildings damaged by an earthquake are seen at Aso Shrine in Aso, Kumamoto prefecture, April 16, 2016.
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Medical staff prepare to evacuate patients from the hospital in Kumamoto City on April 16, 2016, over fears it could collapse as a wave of aftershocks shook the area.
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Residents wrap themselves in blankets in front of the town office building after an earthquake in Mashiki town, Kumamoto prefecture, April 15, 2016.
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Houses are seen destroyed on April 16, 2016 in Kumamoto, Japan.
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A woman walks in front a collapsed house a day after an earthquake at the Mashiki Town Hall on April 15, 2016 in Mashiki, Kumamoto.
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The rescue workers take care of an elderly woman suffering from the shock after an earthquake at the evacuation center at the Mashiki Town Gymnasium on April 16, 2016 in Mashiki, Kumamoto.
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A woman takes shelter after another earthquake hit the area at a hotel in Kumamoto, April 16, 2016.
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Evactuated residents wait at a park in Higashi-ku in Kumamoto City on April 16, 2016.
Tens of thousands of people fled their homes after the first quake struck the southwestern island of Kyushu on Thursday night, leaving lumps of concrete strewn in the streets.
Japan quake
Firefighters walk among collapsed houses caused by an earthquake in Mashiki town, Kumamoto prefecture, the day before, April 15, 2016.
Tens of thousands of people fled their homes after the first quake struck the southwestern island of Kyushu on Thursday night, leaving lumps of concrete strewn in the streets.
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A bicycle and a car are seen April 15, 2016 by a collapsed house a day after the April 14 quake in Mashiki, Kumamoto.
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People wrapped in blankets sit on the road as they are evacuated from a hotel after an earthquake in Kumamoto, April 14, 2016.
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An aerial view shows damaged Kyushu highway in the city of Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture on April 15, 2016, after a strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu the day before.
The strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck at 9:26 pm (1226 GMT) on April 14 in Kumamoto, central Kyushu killing nine people and collapsing homes, sparking fires and injuring hundreds, officials as rescuers worked through the night to find residents feared trapped in rubble.
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A women carrying a comforter and a man carrying suitcases are seen in front of a collapsed house a day after the April 14, 2016 quake in Mashiki, Kumamoto.
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Rescue workers use a stretcher to carry a woman who was rescued from a collapsed house in Mashiki town, Kumamoto prefecture, April 15, 2016.
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A house is seen collapsed April 15, 2016, a day after the quake in Mashiki, Kumamoto. The owner of the house said that the house was damaged more by the aftershock that happened at 0:05.
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Japan Self-Defense Forces carry relief supplies a day after the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake at the Mashiki Town Hall on April 15, 2016 in Mashiki, Kumamoto.
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An eight-month-old baby is carried away by rescue workers after being rescued from her collapsed home caused by an earthquake in Mashiki town, Kumamoto prefecture.
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People receive relief supplies at the evacuation center a day after the April 14, 2016 quake at the town hall in Mashiki, Kumamoto.
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A damaged wall is seen a day after the April 14, 2016 quake in Mashiki, Kumamoto.
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A woman rides a scooter in front of a collapsed house a day after the April 14, 2016 earthquake in Mashiki, Kumamoto.