S. Korean rapid response team arrives in quake-hit Japan

SEOUL, April 17 (Yonhap) — A South Korean rapid response team arrived in Japan on Sunday to help any possible South Korean victims in the wake of deadly earthquakes that struck Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture last week.

After arriving in Japan, the four-member team will look into whether any South Koreans have been affected by the quakes although no South Korean casualties have so far been reported.

If any damage is found, the team will provide assistance to South Koreans who need help, according to the foreign ministry in charge of the dispatch.

A 7.3-magnitude temblor hit Kumamoto Prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu at around 1:25 a.m. Saturday, less than two days after a 6.5-magnitude quake struck the same region.

The quakes killed 34 people and injured some 2,000 others, according to Japanese media.

Kumamoto Prefecture is home to about 1,000 South Koreans.

The South Korean Consulate General in Fukuoka established an emergency response team following the earthquakes, which is constantly contacting the Japanese government and South Korean communities to see if there are any South Korean casualties.

South Koreans staying in Kumamoto and its broader Kyushu area have also been told to be on alert, according to the foreign ministry.