Series of earthquakes in Japan: Nine dead, hundreds injured, hospital collapse threatened

Several earthquakes with magnitudes up to 6.5 resulted in nine deaths and hundreds of injuries on Thursday night into Friday in southwestern Japan, in an area where several nuclear reactors are located, reports the Patria News Agency. 

"Currently, there are nine fatalities," said an official from the disaster management center of Kumamoto Prefecture, a city on the island of Kyushu, on Friday morning local time.

Public television NHK reported that 780 people were injured, at least 22 of them seriously, and that an 8-month-old baby was rescued from the rubble of a house during the night.

Dozens of houses were completely or partially destroyed, and several fires broke out, media reported, citing rescue services and firefighters. Kumamoto Prefecture is considering the possibility of evacuating a hospital whose building could collapse, NHK announced.

Around 33,000 people have fled their homes and are housed in hundreds of centers opened in public buildings where they have received food and blankets. Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said 350 soldiers have been dispatched to the scene to participate in rescue efforts, Index writes.