Powerful Earthquake Hits Southern Japan, Leaving Victims Trapped and Thousands Without Power

KUMAMOTO, Japan — A powerful earthquake struck Japan's southern island of Kyushu on Tuesday afternoon, causing widespread destruction, trapping people inside a damaged shopping mall, disrupting transportation networks and electricity supplies, and prompting authorities to deploy thousands of troops as rescue operations continued.

The 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck at approximately 4:27 p.m. local time, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, with its epicentre located roughly 20 kilometres south of Kumamoto, the largest city in central Kyushu.

Officials said the full extent of the disaster was still being assessed as emergency crews searched damaged buildings amid continuing aftershocks.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the government had established an emergency task force and ordered the deployment of approximately 3,600 members of Japan's Self-Defense Forces to assist local authorities.

"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," Takaichi told reporters in Tokyo.

Rescue Efforts Focus on Damaged Shopping Mall

The most serious incident was reported at an Aeon Mall in Kumamoto, where several people became trapped after part of the building collapsed. Fire officials said an explosion occurred shortly after the earthquake, complicating rescue operations.

Police told Japanese broadcaster TBS that multiple people were feared dead inside the shopping centre, although officials had not released an official casualty figure.

Aeon said customers and employees were evacuated immediately after the initial shaking and that investigators were still determining what caused the explosion.

Witnesses described scenes of panic as thick smoke rose above the commercial district.

"It was a huge impact," local resident Kazuya Tsurunaga told TBS. "A large cloud of smoke billowed up. It looked almost like volcanic ash was falling."

Elsewhere across Kumamoto Prefecture, television footage showed residential fires, collapsed buildings and extensive damage to highways and local roads.

Infrastructure Disrupted Across Kyushu

The earthquake disrupted daily life across much of southern Japan.

Kyushu Electric Power said approximately 40,000 households lost electricity following the quake.

Rail operator JR Kyushu suspended train services, including the region's Shinkansen bullet trains, while Kumamoto Airport temporarily closed its runway, forcing airlines to divert or cancel flights.

Mobile phone services operated by KDDI and NTT Docomo were also affected because of power failures and damaged telecommunications infrastructure.

Authorities said inspections found no abnormalities at nuclear power facilities in the affected region.

Hundreds of Thousands Urged to Evacuate

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued emergency earthquake warnings across seven prefectures on Kyushu and briefly issued a tsunami advisory warning of waves of up to one metre.

The advisory was lifted within two hours after no significant tsunami materialized.

Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said approximately 300,000 residents were instructed to evacuate to designated emergency shelters as officials assessed the safety of buildings and monitored the risk of further aftershocks.

Manufacturers Suspend Operations

Several manufacturers temporarily halted operations as a precaution.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) evacuated workers from its semiconductor facility in Kumamoto, while Sony and Fujifilm also cleared employees from nearby plants pending safety inspections.

The temporary shutdowns highlighted the potential economic impact of the disaster, with Kyushu serving as one of Japan's most important manufacturing hubs for semiconductors and advanced electronics.

Japan's Familiar Challenge

Japan is among the world's most earthquake-prone countries, sitting along the Pacific Ring of Fire, where several tectonic plates converge. The country experiences thousands of earthquakes every year, although most are too weak to cause significant damage.

Tuesday's earthquake struck the same region devastated by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, which killed more than 50 people, injured nearly 2,000 and damaged tens of thousands of homes.

Authorities warned residents to remain vigilant as aftershocks continued into the evening, while rescue teams worked through damaged buildings in search of survivors.

Sources

Reuters
Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)
Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency
NHK
Kyodo News
Nikkei Asia
TBS News Japan