- A major earthquake hit Japan's southern Kyushu island on Tuesday, knocking out power to 40,000 homes, rupturing roads and leaving some trapped and others presumed dead inside a partially collapsed shopping mall.
- Local news outlets quoted police saying several had died or were presumed dead in the incident.
- Around 20 to 30 workers at the prefecture's largest shopping mall were unaccounted for after it was rocked by an explosion in the aftermath of the quake.
- Kyushu Electric Power said about 40,000 homes had lost power as a result of the quake.
A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck Kumamoto prefecture in Japan on Tuesday at 4:27 p.m. local time, leading to widespread devastation.
The quake knocked out power to 40,000 homes and caused significant damage, particularly at a shopping mall where 20 to 30 workers were reported unaccounted for after an explosion occurred in the aftermath.134
Local police indicated that several individuals were either dead or presumed dead, although these reports have not been independently confirmed.
In response to the disaster, the Japanese government issued emergency earthquake warnings across several prefectures, including Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, and Miyazaki.
Approximately 300,000 people have been advised to evacuate to designated centers, as authorities continue to assess the damage and coordinate rescue efforts.
This earthquake follows a similar event in April 2016 that had previously damaged the same shopping mall, which had recently celebrated its recovery.
The situation remains fluid as rescue operations are underway and further assessments are conducted.
“Around 20 to 30 workers at the prefecture's largest shopping mall are unaccounted for after it was rocked by an explosion following the quake. Local news outlets reported that several individuals have died or are presumed dead, although these reports have not been independently confirmed.”
