The Impact of the Japan Quake in Daylight

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit south-western Japan yesterday with impacts centered on the town of Mashiki, about 15km east of Kumamoto city. The quake struck at 10.20pm AEST on Thursday at a depth of 11km near Kumamoto city on the island of Kyushu. At least 860 people had been injured, 53 seriously with 44,000 people seeking refuge at night. Now that the night has passed authorities are still assessing the damage with residents returning to their homes to check on their homes. The following are photographs of the disaster in daylight. For more on the story head to bigstory.ap.org.

Residents walking by one of the many houses destroyed by the 6.5 magnitude earth quake.| Image: Yu Nakajima/AP

A man with a child on his back walks through the rubble with supplies in the town of Mashiki, Kumamoto. | Image: EPA

Houses turned to rubble in the town of Mashiki, 15km away from the city of Kumamoto. | Image: Reuters

A house collapsed on a car in Mashiki. It is reported that 16,000 homes are left without electricity. | Image: Reuters

Evacuees line up for food distributed by Self-Defence Forces personnel. | Image: KYODO News

Part of the damage to the Kumamoto Castle in Kumamoto, Japan. | Image: Reuters

An aerial view of the damage to the town of Mashiki in Kumamoto, Japan. | Image: JIJI Press/AFP - Getty Images

Taro Kono, the minister in charge of disaster management told reporters, "by the end of the day, we plan to have everyone who had evacuated outdoors to move to indoor facilities."