Japan quake death toll rises

- The death toll from the earthquake two days ago continues to rise in Japan. At least forty people were killed by the quake on the southern island of Kyushu, reports including The Japan Times.

It was the second quake that hit Japan this week. Hundreds of people were injured.

The quake measuring 7.3 collapsed buildings arose and mudslides. Dozens of people are probably still buried under the rubble. Authorities have ordered the evacuation of a quarter of a million people.

The rescue work is complicated by a series of aftershocks. Hurry, said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, because of the changeable weather. Rainfall may further weaken the damaged buildings and causing landslides. The problem is that roads, railways and bridges have been destroyed.

In addition, the weather forecast is bad. Increasing, sometimes heavy rains coupled with strong winds and low temperatures is a great danger for the victims who are still buried under the rubble. 'It's a race against time,' said Prime Minister Abe.

Thousands of soldiers, firefighters, cops and doctors have been sent to the affected area to provide assistance. The epicenter of the quake was near the town of Kumamoto.

the power is out throughout the city with a population of 730.000. People who live near a dam had been evacuated because of danger of collapse.

After the earthquake came a small eruption of Mount Aso, which is also on Kyushu. About the consequences does not immediately clear. A plume rose to about a hundred meters above the volcano, which is one of the largest active volcanoes in the world. A tsunami warning was issued but was eventually withdrawn.

The area was Thursday already rocked by a quake of 6. 6. Then certainly were nine deaths. Hundreds of people were injured.

Japan lies in the so-called 'Ring of Fire, a seismic belt which surrounds the Pacific Ocean and where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions belong to the order of the day. For that reason, Japan's building regulations are among the strictest in the world, why earthquakes that require relatively few casualties.