The Japan Meteorological Agency has reported that an earthquake with a magnitude of 7 on the Japanese shaking intensity scale (6.5 on the seismic scale) struck Kyushu at 9:26 p.m. on April 14. It was centered in Mashiki town in Kumamoto Prefecture.

Nine people have been confirmed dead, and over 1,000 injured, with 44,000 reportedly evacuated. Roughly 11,000 houses are without electricity and over 58,000 without water, with gas supplies shut off in parts of Kumamoto City for safety reasons. Shinkansen bullet train service has been suspended as well, and flights to Kumamoto Airport have been disrupted.

No tsunami warning was issued after the quake, though there remains a danger of falling parts from damaged buildings. There have been reports of collapsing walls and houses, including parts of the stone walls of Kumamoto Castle.

A magnitude 6.4 aftershock struck at 12:03 a.m. on Friday, April 15. Aftershocks are anticipated to continue for roughly a week.

With many cellular networks overloaded after a major incident, social media is often the best way to get in touch with loved ones. You can also check the disaster message boards set up by Japan's major cellphone companies, NTT, Softbank and AU. If you're not sure what company to check, we recommend inputting the same number into all three services.

NTT Message Board: http://dengon.docomo.ne.jp/Etop.cgi?es=0
SoftBank Message Board: http://dengon.softbank.ne.jp/pc-e1.jsp
AU Message Board: http://dengon.ezweb.ne.jp/E/service.do

Check ongoing coverage at NHK World below.