Rescuers in southern Japan are continuing to search for survivors after a powerful earthquake struck the Kumamoto area, killing at least 13 people and leaving many missing. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake, as measured by the Japan Meteorological Agency, caused widespread devastation, including collapsed buildings, severely damaged roads, and emergency teams digging through rubble. The US Geological Survey recorded the quake at magnitude 6.8.
Race against time to rescue trapped victims
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the rescue efforts as a "race against time" to reach more people still trapped under rubble. "We will go all out to find and rescue as many people as we can," she said. Emergency workers are focused on several key sites, including a partially collapsed Aeon shopping centre near Kumamoto city and a paper factory where a chimney collapsed.
Eight people were pulled from the rubble of the Aeon shopping centre after an apparent explosion occurred about an hour after the earthquake. Aeon reported that four workers at the shopping centre remain unaccounted for. Takateru Sonoda, 41, who runs a hair salon and cafe near the shopping centre, told the Japanese Jiji Press news agency: "I thought a bomb had gone off. There were people calling on others to evacuate and sirens were ringing out. Nearby roads were gridlocked, it was a state of panic."
Missing persons and infrastructure damage
Seven people are still missing at the Nippon Paper Industries factory, where a chimney collapsed onto the site. Japan's Mainichi newspaper reported that four people were rescued from the rubble at the paper mill, including two who were seriously injured. The earthquake has also disrupted essential services, with nearly 37,000 homes still without electricity, 9,500 homes without gas, and communication networks down in some areas, according to Chief Government Spokesperson Minoru Kihara. He added that more than 9,000 people have left their homes to stay in over 500 shelters.
The full extent of the damage and casualties is still being assessed as rescue operations continue. The Japanese government has mobilized additional resources to support the affected region.
