Hospitals in Kumamoto city, the prefecture’s capital, reported that three people had been killed, according to NHK. One hospital said it was treating 88 people for injuries, seven of them serious.
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The Japan Meteorological Agency reported the quake’s preliminary magnitude at 6.4, strong but not at the top of the range for seismically unstable Japan. The earthquake that struck northeastern Japan in 2011, unleashing a powerful tsunami, measured 9.0.

But the quake on Thursday was centered on land, unlike the offshore quake five years ago, and its origin point was a relatively shallow six miles below the surface. As a result, there was no tsunami, but the shaking at the epicenter was especially strong.

Late last week, a series of powerful earthquakes struck southern Japan over several days, the most powerful—Magnitude 7.3—occurring early on April 16. Instruments have measured more than 70 earthquakes greater than Magnitude 4.0 in the region since Thursday. As of Sunday, 41 people have been reported killed, more than 3,000 injured, and 11 are still listed as missing. AFP reports that at least 80,000 homes are now without power, and 400,000 with no running water. Today, 30,000 rescuers are racing against weather and the threat of more landslides to find anyone else who may remain trapped.