A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday, injuring at least 50 people, trapping several inside a partially collapsed shopping mall and causing widespread disruption across southern Japan.
Fire officials said multiple people were trapped inside an Aeon shopping mall and several feared dead after the reported explosion. An Aeon spokesperson said customers and staff were evacuated immediately following the initial quake, but the cause of the subsequent explosion is still not unknown.
The police feared that “quite a few” people may have died, although officials have not yet confirmed the number of casualties.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the full extent of the damage was still being assessed. “We have already been informed that people have been injured. Power outages and fires have occurred in some areas, and there has also been damage to roads and bridges and the collapse of buildings,” Takaichi said.
Large cracks appeared on major roads, including elevated highways, while multiple buildings were reported damaged or on fire. Rail services were halted, flights were grounded, and TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, evacuated workers from its nearby facility as a precaution. Officials warned that strong aftershocks could continue for about a week, urging residents to remain alert.
Kumamoto was also hit by a devastating earthquake in 2016, making the latest tremor one of the strongest to strike the region in recent years. Rescue and damage assessment operations are continuing.
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