A magnitude 7.3 earthquake has struck the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, bringing down buildings, killing at least 11 people and injuring many more.

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake has struck the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, bringing down buildings, killing at least 11 people and injuring many more.

Saturday morning's quake hit just one day after an earlier tremor that killed nine people. The quake occurred at 01:25 am local time, with the epicenter near the city of Kumamoto, and at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers.

The tremor was felt across wide swathes of southern Japan and triggered a tsunami warning, although the advisory was soon lifted. The quake brought a fresh wave of destruction to the island of Kyushu. It was followed by ripples of aftershocks in the region where nerves are already frayed following Thursday's earthquake.

Power failure was reported in some 200,000 households. And the transport network was stunted, with roads blocked by landslides, and railway and air services suspended.

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake has struck the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, bringing down buildings, killing at least 11 people and injuring many more.