People are trapped in a shopping center in Japan after the earthquake

People are trapped inside a shopping mall after a strong earthquake struck southern Japan, authorities said.

Some reports say there was an explosion at the Aeon Mall in Kumamoto following the 7.1 magnitude earthquake.

The earthquake hit the island of Kyushu at 16:27 local time (07:27 GMT), and more than 150,000 people were told to go to evacuation shelters. A brief tsunami warning was issued within the hour.

Japan is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world, experiencing around 1,500 earthquakes per year.

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