A flurry of aftershocks hit southwestern Japan on Saturday as rescuers scrambled to reach trapped survivors of two big quakes that killed at least 35 people, NBC News reported.
Evacuation orders were issued for areas vulnerable to landslides amid powerful thunderstorms in the area, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said in an evening press briefing.
Suga said the death toll stood at 26 from Saturday's magnitude-7.3 — upgraded after an initial reading of 7.1 — quake that shook the Kumamoto region on island of Kyushu. The United States Geological Survey, meanwhile, reported it as a magnitude-7.0 earthquake.
On Thursday night, Kyushu was hit by a magnitude-6.5 quake that left nine dead. There were more than 130 aftershocks.
According to the government, about 190 people suffered serious injuries.
