At least two die as earthquake hits Hiroshima
At least two people have been killed after an earthquake hit southwestern Japan.
One woman was killed in the state of Hiroshima, and another died in neighbouring Ehime.
There are another 16 reports of casualties, one of them severe.
A fire department official in Hiroshima said a woman was killed under a collapsing concrete wall.
A woman fleeing her home in Ehime died after roof tiles crashed down onto her head, said a national Police Agency official.
The earthquake, with an estimated magnitude of 6.4, struck near Hiroshima - about 429 miles southwest of Tokyo.
"There was a terrible shaking and some products fell on to the floor," said Takuya Ueda, a cashier at a convenience store in Hiroshima. "It lasted a long time, about 30 seconds, but there was no panic inside the store."
The quake, centred some 38 miles below ground, struck at 3.28pm (0628 GMT) near Hiroshima prefecture (state), about 429 miles southwest of Tokyo, the Meteorological Agency said.
There was no danger of huge waves caused by undersea disturbances such as earthquakes and volcanic activity, the agency said.
The quake was also powerful enough to shatter windows. Train service was stopped, and the airport in Hiroshima closed for inspection. Telephone service was also disrupted, but there was no report of electrical blackouts.
Smoke could be seen rising from at least two places in Hiroshima, but officials could not immediately confirm whether it was from fires caused by the quake.
Michiyo Koniki, a police spokesman in neighbouring Tottori, said the quake caused a slow rocking motion that lasted around 15-20 seconds. He said there were no reports of injuries, damage to buildings or fires in Tottori.
