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Quake hits Kyushu mall
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday, shaking the region and causing part of a shopping center to collapse, with officials saying several people were dead and dozens were injured or missing.
In Kashima Town, the quake collapsed the second floor of the Aeon Mall shopping center, trapping an unknown number of people, and NHK said around 20 to 30 employees were unaccounted for after the explosion in the aftermath.
AP reported that at least three people, including two found without vital signs at the mall late Tuesday, were confirmed dead, while the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said about 30 others were injured across Kagoshima prefecture.
The Guardian reported that rescuers working overnight had taken eight people out of the Aeon Mall Kumamoto shopping centre, and that two women in their 20s were confirmed dead.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters that authorities were still assessing the extent of the damage, saying, "We have already been informed that people have been injured."
Gas leak fears and evacuations
Multiple outlets tied the mall collapse to an explosion, with AP saying NHK reported the collapse came after an explosion, believed to have been triggered by a gas leak at the building.
The Guardian likewise said firefighters reported an explosion occurred in the mall shortly after the earthquake, and that a government official told reporters that a gas leak had been reported but the cause was not known.
Al Jazeera quoted Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi saying, "I ask everyone to take action to protect themselves, including evacuating to a safe location," as aftershocks continued.
AP reported that a tsunami advisory was issued but quickly lifted, and that Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities were found at three nearby nuclear power plants.
The Guardian added that about 300,000 people had been instructed to go to evacuation centres, while it also described aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 1 to 4.
Aftermath across industry and transport
Beyond the mall, AP said a chimney collapsed at the Nippon Paper Industries Co.’s Yatsushiro factory, where 11 people were trapped underneath the debris, with two later found without vital signs and nine others’ conditions unknown.
“Kumamoto - where the collapsed Aeon Mall is located - is a city on Kyushu, one of Japan's four main islands”
Scripps News reported that at the same Yatsushiro factory, 11 people were trapped and that two were later found without vital signs while the conditions of nine others were unknown.
AP said the Fire and Disaster Management Agency advised more than 260,000 people to evacuate, most in Kumamoto prefecture and also in neighboring Nagasaki prefecture, as the search and rescue effort continued.
The Guardian reported that TSMC, Sony and Fujifilm evacuated workers from their factories in the area, and it also described the quake’s epicentre about 12 miles (20km) south of Kumamoto.
AP said Toyota Motor Corp. suspended operations at three of its factories in Kyushu in part because of safety issues and planned to reopen on Wednesday, while Shinkansen bullet trains and local trains were suspended for safety checks and the runway at Aso Kumamoto Airport was closed with "no prospect of resuming operations" anytime soon.
