Army troops and other rescuers rushed to save scores of trapped residents after two strong earthquakes in south-western Japan killed at least 41 people, injured about 1,500 and left hundreds of thousands without electricity or water.

A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck southern Japan yesterday, barely 24 hours after a smaller quake hit the region, killing nine people.

A second earthquake of magnitude 6.4 has struck southern Japan in the same area affected by another quake earlier.