Deaths feared in Japan shopping mall blast after 7.1-magnitude earthquake hits Kyushu, tsunami warning lifted
A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Japan's Kumamoto prefecture, causing significant infrastructure damage and trapping workers in a collapsed shopping mall. Rescue operations are underway as authorities assess casualties and manage the aftermath of the disaster.
Why it matters
This natural disaster poses a major humanitarian crisis and highlights the vulnerability of regional infrastructure to seismic activity in Japan.
TOKYO (AFP, Reuters): A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit southern Japan’s Kumamoto prefecture on July 28, knocking out power to thousands of homes, rupturing roads and leaving some trapped and others presumed dead inside a partially collapsed shopping mall.
Speaking to reporters at her office in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the authorities were still assessing the full extent of the damage in the area, which was devastated by a deadly quake a decade ago.
“We have already been informed that people have been injured,” Takaichi 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.
“I ask everyone to take action to protect themselves, including evacuating to a safe location.”
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