Japan Rescuers Search for Survivors After 7.1 Magnitude Kumamoto Earthquake

Casualties and Rescue Operations Across Kumamoto Prefecture

The magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck late Tuesday afternoon in the Kumamoto area, leaving at least 18 people dead and at least 62 injured, including six in serious condition, as prefectural authorities warned that the casualty toll could climb.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi addressed reporters regarding the unfolding disaster, stating, Thirteen people have died. Takaichi further noted, There are people who are still waiting to be rescued, and it’s a race against time. We will go all out to find and rescue as many people as we can. Takaichi offered condolences to the victims and sympathy to their relatives while urging those affected by the quake to take care of themselves amid hot weather conditions. Takaichi also reported, Extensive damage has been confirmed, including casualties, collapsed buildings, fires and damage to roads, adding that officials were confirming whether all the fatalities were caused directly by the tremor.

Japan’s Self Defense Forces deployed to assist rescue workers in search and rescue operations at a badly damaged shopping mall, while also helping deliver water and transfer patients. The government made preparations to deliver food and other necessities to hard-hit areas, according to Takaichi. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency stated that the dead on Kyushu island included two women in the mall and three more elsewhere. Initial reports suggested that as many as 20 to 30 people might be trapped inside structures, but broadcaster NHK cited police early Wednesday as stating that the actual number was lower. The affected area lies about 900 kilometers (540 miles) southwest of Tokyo, and the Nuclear Regulation Authority reported that no abnormalities were detected.

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Aeon Mall Explosion and Structural Collapses

Some of the most serious damage occurred at the Aeon Mall shopping center in the town of Kashima, which was bustling with thousands of people when the quake struck. The company reported that approximately 3,000 customers were evacuated to a parking lot before a gas explosion occurred in another part of the mall where some individuals were still working. The blast gutted the building, collapsing ceilings and walls, and caving in the second floor to trap people inside, according to the fire department in the prefectural capital of Kumamoto. A government source told the Kyodo news agency that the mall was apparently ruined by a gas explosion. An Aeon spokesman stated, The explosion occurred after the customers and staff had evacuated. A local official told AFP that eight people were rescued from the mall, five of whom sustained injuries.

Fumika Ono, a 19-year-old shopper, was at the mall with her older sister when the ground shook so fiercely that she lost her balance and ducked as children began screaming and goods scattered across the floor. Ono managed to escape safely. Sweltering weather heightened worries for survivors as rescuers braved the heat while searching for individuals who remained missing. At the Nippon Paper Industries Co.’s Yatsushiro factory, a chimney collapsed and trapped people under debris, according to the Kumamoto emergency team. Officials reported that as of Wednesday, seven people were feared still trapped, while two survivors and two bodies had been removed.

In the Nuyamazu district, a pair of temple gates at a 16th-century Buddhist temple collapsed just five years after they had been repaired. Yuki Kiyozumi, deputy chief priest at the temple, recalled having to crawl on the floor as the earthquake shook the historic structure.