M7.1 quake rocks southwestern Japan, 1 dead, dozens feared injured

TOKYO - An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 jolted southwestern Japan on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring dozens of others as authorities scrambled to assess the extent of the damage amid reports of collapsed buildings, fires, power outages and traffic disruptions.

The temblor registered a maximum 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in parts of Kumamoto Prefecture, which was hit by similarly powerful quakes a decade ago. At that level, people cannot remain standing or move without crawling and may be thrown through the air, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.