* Japan still assessing damage, loss of life

* Dozens believed trapped in rubble after quake

* Cost of damage could run to several billion dollars

* No irregularities reported at nuclear plants

* Sony, Toyota, Nissan operations affected

"It's full in there. There's not a inch to sleep or even walk about in there. It's impossible in there," a resident of Mashiki town said outside an evacuation centre.

Another survivor said the cleanup would be extensive.

"I can't even imagine when we can start the recovery process. My home is a mess, I don't know what to do next. And all these people affected."

Firefighters handed out tarpaulins to residents so they could cover damaged roofs, but many homes were simply deserted.

Around 62,700 households were without electricity, water supplies had been disrupted to more than 300,000 homes and some areas had no gas, said NHK.

More than 110,000 people have been evacuated from the Kumamoto area, said Kyodo.

Troops set up tents for evacuees and water trucks were being sent to the area while television footage showed people stranded after the fall of a bridge being rescued by helicopters.

The National Police Agency said 32 people had been confirmed dead in Saturday's quake. The government said about 190 of those injured were in a serious condition.

"RING OF FIRE"

On the other side of the Pacific, Ecuador was also struggling with the aftermath of a major 7.8 quake which hit on Saturday, killing at least 77 people and sparking a tsunami warning.

Both Japan and Ecuador are on the seismically active "ring of fire" around the Pacific Ocean. Japan's 2011 quake and tsunami killed nearly 20,000 people.

The epicentre of Saturday's quake was near the city of Kumamoto and measured at a shallow depth of 10 km (six miles), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. The shallower a quake, the more likely it is to cause damage.

The city's 400-year-old Kumamoto Castle was badly damaged, with its walls breached after having withstood bombardment and fire in its four centuries of existence.

The USGS estimated there was a 72 percent likelihood of economic damage exceeding $10 billion, adding that it was too early to be specific. Major insurers are yet to release estimates.