Key takeaways:
- Around 20 to 30 workers were unaccounted for at an Aeon Mall in Kumamoto after reports of a collapse and explosion following the quake.
- Hospitals in Yatsushiro and Kumamoto received dozens of injured people, with NHK reporting 10 were in serious condition at one facility.
- The tsunami advisory was lifted within two hours, and nuclear regulators reported no abnormalities at three nearby nuclear power plants.
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Japan’s southern island of Kyushu on Tuesday, damaging roads, bridges and buildings, knocking out power and leaving dozens of people missing or injured after a major shopping mall was hit by a collapse and reported explosion.
The quake shook Kumamoto prefecture and surrounding areas in the afternoon, prompting a tsunami advisory that was lifted within two hours, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said. Authorities warned residents to remain alert for strong aftershocks in the coming days.
The most serious damage was reported at the Aeon Mall shopping center in Kashima Town, where the second floor collapsed and trapped an unknown number of people, Kyodo News agency reported, citing local police. Around 20 to 30 employees were missing, while several others were dug out and taken to a hospital, Kyodo said.
Al Jazeera, citing Japanese public broadcaster NHK, reported that the mall was rocked by an explosion after the quake and that police said several people were presumed dead. An Aeon spokesperson said customers and employees were evacuated after the initial quake and that the cause of the blast was unclear.
Kazuya Tsurunaga, who was cleaning up dishes broken by the earthquake inside a pub about 300 metres from the mall, told TBS he heard the explosion. “It was a huge impact,” he said. “A large cloud of smoke billowed up, and because the wind happened to be blowing and the wind direction was towards the shop, the area around us was in a state like volcanic ash was falling.”
Hospitals in the region treated scores of injured people. Kyodo reported that a hospital in Yatsushiro city received about 40 injured people, while about 50 others were taken to a hospital in Kumamoto city. NHK reported that one hospital had more than 50 injuries and another received around 40 wounded, including 10 in serious condition. Several more people were hurt when tremors derailed a high-speed train, Al Jazeera reported.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said officials had received reports of injuries, power outages, fires, road and bridge damage and collapsed buildings. “I ask everyone to take action to protect themselves, including evacuating to a safe location,” she said. In a post on X, she urged people in the affected areas “to remain vigilant for the possibility of another earthquake of similar magnitude,” adding that the government was working to assess damage “as quickly as possible.”
About 300,000 people were instructed to go to evacuation centers, the disaster management agency said, according to Al Jazeera. Hundreds of soldiers were deployed to support recovery efforts, while Japan’s Defense Ministry said it sent aircraft to assess conditions in the area.
Kyushu Electric Power said about 48,000 homes lost electricity. Shinkansen bullet trains and local trains in Kyushu were suspended for safety checks, and the runway at Aso Kumamoto Airport was closed with “no prospect of resuming operations,” according to a notice on the airport’s website. Kyodo also reported that a train derailed and fell on its side at Yatsushiro station.
Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities were found at three nearby nuclear power plants. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said there were no reports of damage to major public facilities or infrastructure.
The quake’s epicenter was in Uki, about 20km south of Kumamoto city, at a depth of 10km, Al Jazeera reported. Strong shaking was felt across Kumamoto and neighboring prefectures including Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga and Miyazaki, according to The Japan Times.
Stone walls were damaged at Kumamoto Castle, Kyodo reported. “The shaking reminded me of the Kumamoto quake (10 years ago) and I was frightened,” said Hiroki Shimoda, an official at Mifune town hall, who saw roof tiles fall from nearby homes. Kumamoto was hit by deadly earthquakes in 2016; NPR reported they killed more than 50 people, while Al Jazeera cited an official count of 275 deaths and 2,739 injuries from two large quakes.
Shinji Kiyomoto of the Japan Meteorological Agency urged residents to be cautious over the next two to three days.
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