Aeon Mall in Kumamoto prefecture, following the magnitude 7.1 earthquake. The quake hit inland on Kyushu Island at 16:27 local time (07:27 GMT), with about 300,000 people being told to move to evacuation shelters. There was a brief tsunami warning that was lifted within the hour.  Emergency services said "many people" were trapped inside the Aeon Mall in the Kumamoto prefecture. In the town of Kashima, "a shopping complex's second floor collapsed, leaving many people trapped inside", the fire department said in a statement. Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, experiencing about 1,500 quakes a year. The meteorological agency has warned of strong aftershocks given the shallow epicenter - 10km (six miles). Footage aired by national broadcaster NHK shows cracked roads and bridges and several buildings on fire.

The quake's epicenter was about 20km (12 miles) south of Kumamoto, which is Kyushu Island’s largest city with a population of about 700,000. "We are still assessing the extent of injuries and property damage, but I have been informed that there have already been several injuries", Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Tuesday. (BBC)