Two major earthquakes have struck southern Japan and one has hit Ecuador over the past few days, causing widespread damage.

On Thursday a magnitude-6.2 quake struck the town of Kumamoto on the southwestern Japanese island of Kyushu. This was followed on Saturday by a magnitude-7 quake nearby.

The shallow (about 11km in depth) quakes caused damage to roads, bridges and tunnels, killing 42 people and injuring thousands more.

Saturday’s quake was 15.8 times stronger in its energy release than the first, according to catastrophe modeller AIR Worldwide.

The quakes temporarily displaced about 190,000 people, cut off electricity to 62,000 homes and left about 250,000 homes without water, according to Japanese media.

About 1000 buildings have reportedly been damaged and at least 90 destroyed.

AIR Worldwide says given the shallow nature of Saturday’s quake and proximity to population centres, more damage reports are expected, particularly to Japan’s traditional wood-frame building stock.

Business interruption losses and supply chain impacts are likely given Kumamoto Prefecture is home to about one-quarter of Japan’s semiconductor production.

It is also home to more than 100 semiconductor-related enterprises and steel, car and ship manufacturers.

The Ecuador quake, estimated at magnitude 7.8, killed 246 people and injured more than 2000.

At least 370 buildings were destroyed. A public order breakdown in the city of Portoviejo prompted the mobilisation of 10,000 troops.

While the epicentre was in a sparsely populated area near the town of Muisne, damage has been reported far away, with many roads out of order.

Damage reports are still coming in. Many rural areas comprise mud-brick homes that are vulnerable to collapse.