Race against time for survivors after Japan quakes

The search is continuing in southern Japan for people missing from two powerful earthquakes that killed at least 40 people.

Rescuers intensify search for nine people still missing in a village in southern Japan, devastated by earthquake https://t.co/QcWKoKgsMG

— AFP news agency (@AFP) April 18, 2016

Rescuers have been using shovels to dig through mountains of soil in a race against the threat of more landslides.

More than a 1000 buildings have been damaged in the two tremors which struck on successive nights.

Nearly 400,000 households are still said to be without running water. Food and bottled water are in short supply in the stricken areas near Minamiaso village and Kumamoto city, where many roads remain cut off.

“For food, I bought instant noodles, they only let you buy two packets(chuckles),” said Emi Obata, a 32-year-old local resident.

“We were able to buy water for drinking. But the problem is water for our toilet, it cannot flush, so water is the biggest problem now, I think we need to hold off on taking baths,” another resident said.

With hundreds of aftershocks continuing to rock the region, many residents are choosing to sleep outside in makeshift shelters or in their cars rather than return to their homes.