In pics: Trauma, tragedy, shock as Japan reels from earthquake fury

A more powerful quake hit southern Japan early on Saturday, killing at least 10 people, toppling large buildings and triggering a massive landslide just over a day after an earlier tremor that left nine dead.

A more powerful quake hit southern Japan early on Saturday, killing at least 10 people, toppling large buildings and triggering a massive landslide after Thursday’s tremor left nine dead.

A resident stands in front of a damaged house in Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture. (AP)

At least 1,500 people were injured in the two powerful earthquakes that occurred a day apart, and many were trapped beneath flattened homes.

The US Geological Survey measured the quake magnitude at 7.0, about 6.3 times bigger than the 6.2 tremor recorded on Thursday.

Read: At least 29 dead after second strong quake hits southern Japan

A woman walks past a collapsed house in Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture. Tomoyuki Tanaka, an official with the Kumamoto prefectural government, said 10 were confirmed dead after Saturday’s quake, bringing the total deaths to 19 since Thursday. (AFP)

Collapsed houses are seen in Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture. The powerful shaking set off a huge landslide that swept away homes and cut off a highway in one area, and unlike the earlier quake which mostly affected old houses. Larger buildings were damaged and some toppled across Kumamoto prefecture, the epicentre of the quakes. (AFP)

Romon gate (bottom R), designated as a nationally important cultural property, and other buildings damaged by an earthquake are seen at Aso Shrine in Aso, Kumamoto prefecture. Japan Meteorological Agency official Gen Aoki said Saturday’s quake was the strongest to hit in recent days, and that Thursday’s was merely a “precursor”. (REUTERS)

A national highway is blocked by landslide caused by an earthquake in Minamiaso, Kumamoto prefecture. Five years ago, Japan, one of the most seismically active countries in the world, suffered a massive undersea quake on March 11 that sent a tsunami barrelling into the country’s northeast coast. (AP)

A man hunks down in front of a collapsed residence where his mother is being trapped after an earthquake in Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture. (AP)

Policemen prepare for a rescue mission in Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture. Japanese media reported that nearly 200,000 homes were without electricity. Drinking water systems had also failed in the area. TV footage showed people huddled quietly in blankets, shoulder to shoulder, on floors of evacuation centres. (AFP)

A member of a rescue team runs on a street cracked by the earthquake in Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture. Saturday’s quake hit residents who were still in shock from the previous night’s earthquake and had suffered through more than 100 aftershocks. (AFP)

This handout photo taken and released by Japan's defence ministry via Jiji Press on April 16, 2016 shows an aerial view of a landslide in Mimami-Aso, Kumamoto prefecture. The Nuclear Regulation Authority reported no abnormalities at Kyushu’s Sendai nuclear plant. (AFP)

Evacuees use newspapers to keep warm at Prefectural University of Kumamoto. (REUTERS)

A ‘SOS’ distress signal written on the ground of an elementary school in Aso, Kumamoto prefecture. Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan which is located on Kyushu, erupted for the first time in a month, sending smoke rising about 100 metres (328 feet) into the air, but no damage was reported. It was not immediately clear if there’s a link the seismic activity and the eruption. The 1,592 metre (5,223 foot) high mountain is about 1 ½ hour drive from the epicentre. (AP)

Local residents look at cracks caused by an earthquake on a road in Mashiki town, Kumamoto prefecture. (REUTERS)

A couple heads to their home past a collapsed house in Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture. (AFP)

Evacuated residents gather at Shirakawa park after an earthquake in Kumamoto, southern Japan. (REUTERS)

A man stands in front of a building collapsed by an earthquake in Kumamoto, southern Japan. (AP)