A powerful 7.1‑magnitude earthquake struck the south‑western Kyushu region on Tuesday, leaving 13 confirmed dead and setting off more than 100 aftershocks. The epicentre lay 10km below the surface, roughly 20km south of Kumamoto city.
The Aeon Mall in Kashima suffered a violent collapse of its second‑floor roof after an explosion outside the building, killing three staff and injuring others. Rescue crews sift through rubble at the mall and a paper factory in Kumamoto, fighting heat and power loss to locate trapped survivors.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the situation as "a race against time", urging residents to watch for strong aftershocks with a seismic intensity of 7 for the next week.
More than 4,600 personnel are on the ground, while Defence Minister Shinjirō Koizumi mobilised 300 air‑conditioning units to the worst‑hit zones to combat heatstroke at 35°C. The JMA, working with the US Geological Survey, has updated the earthquake’s magnitude to 7.1.
Images show uprooted trees, a collapsed gate at a temple in Yatsushiro and the shattered façade of the Aeon Mall, underscoring the destruction Kyushu is still grappling with today.
