quake killed 26 people on top of the nine who died in a temblor two days earlier, he said.

The United States Geological Survey reported the magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck at 1:25 a.m. Saturday in the city of Kumamoto on the island of Kyushu, at a depth of 25 miles.

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Thursday night, a magnitude-6.5 quake shook the same area. There were more than 130 aftershocks.

Roughly 69,000 people have evacuated the Kumamoto Prefecture where at least 100,000 homes lost electricity and 385,000 are without running water, Suga said.

On Saturday afternoon, 2,000 soldiers were active in the rescue and relief efforts following the two quakes, but Suga said that number will increase to15,000.

There have been no irregularities reported at any of the nuclear power plants in the region, according to Suga.

College students carry blankets and food toward a gym-turned shelter as a damaged apartment building is seen in the background after an earthquake in Minamiaso village, Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, April 16. Yuki Sato / Kyodo News via AP

Saturday's earthquake briefly triggered a tsunami advisory that the Japan Meteorological Agency later lifted. At least five aftershocks rattled the region, the strongest of which was a magnitude-5.8, the USGS said.

Since Saturday's quake was bigger, Thursday's was technically a foreshock, a Meteorological Agency official, Gen Aoki, told a news conference.

The greatest seismic activity was from Kumamoto Prefecture to Oita Prefecture, Gen Aoki, director of Japan Meteorological Agency earthquake and monitoring division, told reporters