Quake evacuees face power and water cuts in Japan's Kumamoto

In the town of Hikawa, which observed the maximum seismic intensity of 7 on the Japanese scale, about 150 people had visited the Yatsushiro North Community Medical Center, by 8 a.m. Wednesday. Most of them had light injuries, but a center official said that it was in a state of confusion as patients came throughout the night.

In the city of Uki, which also logged the top intensity of 7, a Hello Work public job placement office building was damaged, and the asphalt in the parking lot buckled. According to a 44-year-old female staff member, the office still lacks a water supply.

"I hope the situation will return to normal as soon as possible," she said.

About 500 residents evacuated to a disaster prevention center in the Ogawa district of Uki. The facility is offering stockpiled food supplies but experiencing power and water outages, leaving the evacuees without air conditioning.

In the city of Yatsushiro, which recorded the intensity of upper 6, the second-highest level on the Japanese scale, about 100 people spent the night at a community center that was opened to the public as an evacuation center. A makeshift toilet was set up due to the water outage.

Meanwhile, police, firefighters and Self-Defense Forces personnel continue search-and-rescue operations on Wednesday.  

While many calls for rescue assistance have been received across the prefecture, the full extent of the damage has yet to be determined, and the prefectural disaster response headquarters is working to assess the situation.

Earlier, it was reported that at least 13 people were killed as a powerful quake hit Japan's Kumamoto on July 28.