Multiple people have died and many more are missing after the Aeon Mall in Kumamoto collapsed during a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck southern Japan on Tuesday afternoon. The quake, which hit at 4.27pm local time, reached the highest level on Japan's seismic intensity scale, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, triggering a brief tsunami warning that was later lifted. Authorities confirmed “many fatalities” at the shopping centre, where the second floor collapsed, leaving shoppers trapped. An explosion was also reported at the mall. Ten people are currently unaccounted for, according to officials. Rescue workers are digging through the rubble, while firefighters and police are also investigating the collapse of a chimney at the nearby Nippon Paper Industries Yatsushiro plant, where several employees are missing.
The earthquake caused widespread damage across the Kumamoto prefecture on the island of Kyushu. Kyushu Electric Power reported that 48,000 homes lost power, and railway company JR Kyushu suspended all services, including high-speed bullet trains. Kumamoto Airport closed its runway indefinitely, forcing airlines to divert and cancel flights. More than 150,000 residents have been ordered to evacuation shelters. Buildings caught fire, roads fractured, and a goods train derailed. Aerial footage showed sections of the Kyushu Expressway damaged, and walls of the historic Kumamoto Castle collapsed.
“Multiple dead, many missing after 7.1 quake collapses Aeon Mall in Kumamoto.”
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said: “We have already been informed that people have been injured. Power outages and fires have occurred in some areas, and there has also been damage to roads and bridges and the collapse of buildings.” She urged residents to stay away from the coastline. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant, about 100km from the epicentre, was undamaged and remained in operation. Tech giant Sony, which has a plant in the region, said it was monitoring the situation.
As night fell, rescue teams continued searching for survivors in the rubble of the Aeon Mall, with the number of missing expected to rise. The earthquake is one of the strongest to hit the region in recent years, and aftershocks have been felt, causing further damage.