As Kyushu residents attempted to get through a sleepless night, another strong earthquake rocked Kumamoto early Saturday, killing 32 people and injuring more than 900, bringing the combined death toll from Thursday's quake to at least 41.

The magnitude-7.3 quake hit at 1:25 a.m. and registered upper 6 on Japan's seismic intensity scale of 7 in Kumamoto Prefecture. It was more powerful than the temblor that barely a day earlier killed nine people and left more than 1,000 injured in the Kyushu area, according to the Meteorological Agency.

As reports came in of people trapped in collapsed buildings, fires and power outages, authorities warned of widespread damage. Heavy rain forecast for the coming days could lead to more landslides and weaken already damaged structures, the agency said.