A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Japan's Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday cutting power to tens of thousands of homes, damaging roads and leaving several people trapped or feared dead inside a partially collapsed shopping mall.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said authorities were still assessing the damage, confirming injuries, fires and building collapses across the region. "I ask everyone to take action to protect themselves, including evacuating to a safe location" she said. Around 300,000 people were ordered to evacuation centers, and 3,600 soldiers were deployed for recovery efforts as aftershocks continued.
More than 50 injuries were reported at one hospital, with additional injuries among passengers on a high-speed train. An explosion at an Aeon shopping mall trapped several people with police saying "quite a few" were presumed dead. Aeon said customers and staff had evacuated after the initial quake, though the cause of the blast remains unclear.
Other buildings caught fire or partially collapsed, and major roads, including an elevated highway, developed large cracks. Rail services were suspended, flights grounded and companies including TSMC, Sony and Fujifilm evacuated staff from nearby plants as a precaution.
The quake's epicenter was located about 20 km south of Kumamoto city, home to roughly 700,000 people. Officials warned residents to remain alert for aftershocks and landslides over the coming week.
A tsunami warning issued after the quake was later lifted. Kyushu Electric Power reported 48,000 homes without electricity while no irregularities were detected at nearby nuclear plants.
A similar earthquake in Kumamoto a decade ago killed 275 people and damaged thousands of buildings including the historic Kumamoto Castle, parts of which collapsed again in Tuesday's quake.
