More than 100 aftershocks hit Japan’s Kyushu region after a deadly 6.8‑magnitude quake. The seismic event left at least 13 people dead and many trapped in collapsed buildings.
Rescue teams work under scorching heat, digging through rubble at places such as a paper factory and a shopping mall where an explosion followed the quake.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the situation as a “race against time” to recover survivors. Thousands are now staying in evacuation centres and many houses are without power.
The Japan Meteorological Agency urges residents to watch for further strong shocks, particularly those with a maximum intensity of 7, over the next week.
In the Aeon Mall in Kashima town, rescuers continue to search the partially collapsed second floor, where some workers are still missing.
Officials have deployed more than 4,600 personnel and are also flying in about 300 air‑conditioning units to combat the high temperatures, which have reached 35 °C (95 °F).
The earthquake’s shallow epicentre, only 10 km deep, was located roughly 20 km south of Kumamoto city. The magnitude was reported as 7.1 by JMA and later as 6.8 by the US Geological Survey.
