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Quake, blast, evacuations
A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Japan’s southwestern island of Kyushu on Tuesday, killing at least three people, injuring dozens and damaging buildings including an Aeon mall in the Kumamoto prefecture town of Kashima where an explosion followed.
“A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Japan’s southwestern island of Kyushu on Tuesday”
The tremor was centred around Kumamoto prefecture and hit at an extremely shallow depth of 10km, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), and the blast occurred at the Aeon mall after the quake.
About 20 to 30 workers at the prefecture’s largest shopping centre were unaccounted for after the second floor of the mall collapsed, broadcaster NHK said, while fire services earlier said multiple people were trapped inside.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told media she had received initial reports of injuries and said, “Power outages and fires have occurred in some areas, and there has also been damage to roads and bridges and the collapse of buildings,” as aftershocks continued.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake’s maximum seismic intensity was estimated at 7 on a Japanese scale of 7, making it impossible to stand, and a tsunami warning was issued immediately after the quake but was later lifted.
Gas leak possible
In Kumamoto, the Aeon mall blast was followed by reports of people trapped after the second floor collapsed, with Kumamoto Prefecture announcing that two women in their 20s died at the Ion Mall in Kashimamachi.
A senior Japanese government official told reporters on the night of the 28th that a gas leak was a possible cause of the explosion, while police said approximately 20–30 people, including employees, may still be trapped inside the building.
At the same time, a Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro City saw a chimney collapse that trapped 11 people, with two rescued but in cardiac arrest and nine other individuals still unaccounted for, according to the Korean-language report.
The Guardian described the mall as the prefecture’s largest with roughly 200 shops and said rescuers took eight people out of the Aeon Mall Kumamoto, including two women in their 20s confirmed dead.
The Guardian also quoted the prime minister saying, “We have already been informed that people have been injured. Power outages and fires have occurred in some areas,” as authorities investigated the explosion and aftershocks continued.
Aftershocks, power, transport
Beyond the mall, the earthquake’s disruption spread across Kumamoto Prefecture, where Kyushu Electric Power Company reported that 41,730 households remained without power as of early morning on the 29th and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said 140,000 households across 17 cities, towns, and villages experienced water outages.
““For the next week, especially the first 2–3 days, strong tremors may occur, requiring heightened vigilance,””
Evacuation orders were issued for more than 200,000 people across six cities, towns, and villages in Kumamoto Prefecture, according to the National Fire Agency, while the Kyushu Shinkansen remained suspended for the entire route on the 29th.
The Japan Meteorological Agency urged caution for earthquakes of similar magnitude over the next week and said, “For the next week, especially the first 2–3 days, strong tremors may occur, requiring heightened vigilance,” as tremors of intensity 4 or higher were observed.
In parallel, the BBC reported that authorities were still assessing the full extent of casualties and damage and said, “I ask everyone to take action to protect themselves, including evacuating to a safe location.”
The quake also prompted evacuations and operational changes for businesses, with the report noting that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing evacuated staff at its Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing facility and that TSMC, Sony and Fujifilm evacuated workers from their plants in the area.
