New Zealand man Greg Lambert and his youngest daughter Waimarie, 1. The family live in Kunamoto, Japan where two earthquakes struck. Photo / Supplied
New Zealand man Greg Lambert and his youngest daughter Waimarie, 1. The family live in Kunamoto, Japan where two earthquakes struck. Photo / Supplied
A New Zealand couple living in the Japanese city hit by two earthquakes have been huddled in their car with their three young children for the past two nights.
A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck Kumamoto in southern Japan early on Saturday, barely 24 hours aftera smaller quake hit the same region and killed nine people.
Greg and Brenna Lambert, of Auckland, have been too scared to return to their home with their children, K.J, 6, Maya, 3, and Waimarie, 1.
"We were worried something would fall on us in the middle of the night," Mr Lambert told the Herald.
Greg and Brenna Lambert, of Auckland, have been too scared to return to their home with their children, K.J, 6, Maya, 3, and Waimarie, 1. Photo / Supplied by Greg Lambert
"I was training when the first quake struck. There was a huge bang as if a car had hit the building and then the walls started shaking.
"Moments later I got a call from my wife saying everything at home had been tossed around. A lot of plates and things like that smashed and there's a crack in the TV but that material stuff is the last thing you think about when you've got kids."
Mr Lambert and his wife moved to Japan 14 years ago to teach English.
The family spent the night after the first quake in their car in the carpark next to their house.
A hotel guest tries to protect herself from repeated aftershocks in Kumamoto. Photo / AP
The dead included five women and four men, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. One man was in his 20s, and the rest of the victims ranged from their 50s to one woman in her 90s.
The Government's chief spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, said at least 860 people had been injured, 53 seriously.
Mr Suga said 1600 soldiers had joined the relief and rescue efforts.
Japan's Meteorological Agency issued an advisory for a tsunami up to 1m along the coast west of the epicentre in Kumamoto after the second quake but lifted it less than an hour later.
