No South Korean victims have been reported so far in a deadly earthquake that struck southern Japan, a South Korean official said Friday.

The 6.4-magnitude temblor hit Kumamoto Prefecture and the surrounding areas on the island of Kyushu at around 9:26 p.m., Thursday, leaving at least nine people dead and hundreds injured.

"We have not received any reports yet of South Koreans being harmed in the earthquake," Park Ki-jun, deputy chief of the South Korean consulate general in Fukuoka, told Yonhap News Agency by phone.

An emergency task force has been set up at the consulate general to determine whether any Koreans were among the victims.

Late Thursday, the consulate general assisted some 50 South Korean tourists who were taking cover at a parking lot outside a Kumamoto hotel.

In Seoul, the government said it has sent text messages to South Korean tourists and residents in the quake-affected areas, urging them to stay safe. (Yonhap)