Quake aftershocks batter Japan

THOUSANDS of people took refuge in shelters yesterday as aftershocks battered southern Japan a day after a powerful magnitude-7.0 earthquake damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes, leaving one person dead and hundreds injured.

The temblor hit early today off Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu near Fukuoka city, and was followed by more than 110 aftershocks, giving the region’s residents a jittery night, the Meteorological Agency said.

The worst damage occurred on Genkai island, near the quake’s epicentre, with the quake triggering landslides and levelling homes.