A second powerful earthquake hit southern Japan Saturday morning, prompting authorities to issue, and then rescind, a tsunami warning in the region.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred near the Kumamoto area at 1:25 a.m. local time.  

On Thursday, a 6.5-magnitude quake struck near the city on the island of Kyushu, about 1,300 kilometers southwest of Tokyo.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the western coast of Kyushu after the latest quake but canceled it a short time later.

The latest tremor comes amid the efforts of hundreds of rescue workers who are combing through rubble as dazed residents in the area work to restore normalcy to their quake-stricken region.

Some 1,600 soldiers have joined nearly 2,000 police officers and 1,300 firefighters in helping the area recover from Thursday’s unusually powerful quake that toppled buildings, killed at least nine people and injured more than 800 others, according to government spokesman Yoshihide Suga.

Officials said the death toll was unlikely to rise significantly.

One bright spot was the televised rescue of a baby who was carried out of the debris of a collapsed home.

Aftershocks

More than 100 aftershocks have occurred since Thursday’s 6.5-magnitude earthquake.

A Kumamoto official said about 44,000 people spent the night in shelters after fleeing their homes.

Water service has been disrupted in some areas, forcing residents to haul water from local offices to their homes.

Suga said there are no apparent abnormalities at nearby nuclear facilities.  The epicenter of the first quake was about 120 kilometers northeast of the country’s only operating nuclear plant.

Most of Japan’s other nuclear reactors remain offline after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in 2011 triggered a huge tsunami.  
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