Japan quake death toll rises to 13 as rescue efforts continue
The earthquake caused widespread damage across the region, cutting power to thousands of homes, damaging roads and forcing thousands of residents to move to evacuation centres.
Rescue teams pulled eight people alive from the rubble of a partially collapsed shopping mall near Kumamoto City, which was damaged by a suspected explosion shortly after Tuesday’s earthquake. Two women in their 20s were killed in the mall collapse.
Around 20 to 30 workers at the mall were reported missing after the disaster, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK. Authorities are continuing rescue operations to locate those trapped inside the building.
“Even now, people are waiting to be rescued, and this is a race against time. We will marshal all available resources on the ground to save and rescue as many people as possible,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters in Tokyo.
Authorities are investigating a possible gas explosion at the Aeon shopping mall. Rescue workers reported smelling gas inside the building, but officials said the exact cause of the blast has not yet been confirmed.
Emergency fire teams, police personnel, and around 170 army troops were deployed to focus on areas where calls for help were received. More than 4,500 soldiers have been sent to support rescue and recovery operations across the earthquake-hit region.
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Seven people were also reported missing after a chimney collapsed at a Nippon Paper Industries factory, while four others suffered serious injuries, according to local officials. Hospitals across the region are treating dozens of injured people.
Authorities instructed around 260,000 residents in the affected prefecture to move to evacuation centres. Police received hundreds of emergency calls reporting collapsed buildings, trapped people and other earthquake-related incidents. The earthquake’s epicentre was located about 20 kilometres south of Kumamoto City, the largest city in central Kyushu, with a population of around 700,000.
Officials warned residents to remain alert for possible strong aftershocks for nearly a week. They also cautioned people about the risk of landslides and other hazards caused by the earthquake.
More than 36,000 homes remained without electricity as temperatures reached around 34 degrees Celsius. Authorities warned residents to take precautions against heatstroke, especially those staying in temporary shelters.
Hospitals struggle after quake
Several hospitals faced difficulties after the earthquake damaged infrastructure and disrupted electricity supplies. A hospital in Uki City, located near the epicentre, said it was unable to operate normally due to the power outage. Its administration head told NHK, “It’s become like a field hospital.”
Another hospital in the city stopped accepting new patients after treating 86 injured people, including three seriously wounded victims, as it reached its emergency capacity. Several passengers travelling on high-speed trains were also injured, while train operators suspended services immediately after the earthquake.
Public attention remained focused on the collapsed Aeon mall, the largest shopping centre in the prefecture. Footage showed one side of the mall, which houses around 200 stores, torn apart, exposing steel beams and scattering debris across the parking area. Aeon officials said customers and employees were evacuated soon after the earthquake, but the cause of the explosion that followed remained unclear.
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Several major companies with factories in the affected region, including Sony, Tokyo Electron and Honda, temporarily suspended operations. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) also evacuated workers from its local facility as a precaution but later began restarting operations.
The earthquake severely damaged roads, with large cracks appearing on highways and causing major traffic disruptions. Japan lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and experiences frequent earthquakes. The country accounts for about 20% of the world’s earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.0 or higher.
The latest disaster comes a decade after a deadly earthquake struck Kumamoto, killing 275 people and injuring 2,739 others. That earthquake also damaged thousands of buildings, including the historic Kumamoto Castle. Several cultural sites, including shrines with heavy tiled roofs and a 17th-century tea house, were also damaged in the latest earthquake.
