TOKYO, July 30 (Reuters) - Following are companies that have suspended operations in Japan's Kumamoto and nearby prefectures after a magnitude 7.1 quake hit the area on Tuesday, killing at least 17 people.

The devastating 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck southwest Japan's Kumamoto on Tuesday, killing 13 people and injuring hundreds, resulted from a relatively rarer type of inland seismic activity, scientists say. At about 4.27pm local time, the quake struck the island of Kyushu in southern Japan, with its epicentre traced to Kumamoto Prefecture.

A powerful earthquake struck the Kumamoto area on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday. A shopping mall, a factory and multiple homes were heavily damaged,

The centuries-old castle, one of the country’s best-known, was also affected by the region’s 2016 earthquakes.

A 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit southern Japan, injuring dozens and collapsing buildings.

Following are companies that have suspended operations in Japan's Kumamoto and nearby prefectures after a magnitude 7.1 quake hit the area on Tuesday, killing at least 17 people.

The Chicago White Sox baseball team plans to donate proceeds from an auction of Japanese slugger Murakami Munetaka's items to people in his quake-hit hometown of Kumamoto.

Japan's Kumamoto earthquake has halted chip and auto plants across Kyushu, raising supply concerns for Japanese and South Korean manufacturers.