Japan’s Kyushu Rattled by 7.1 Quake With 13 Dead
13 people have died and dozens more injured after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Japan’s south‑western Kyushu island on Tuesday evening. The quake rattled the Kumamoto prefecture with a shallow focus only 10km deep.
The tremor triggered over 100 aftershocks, each shaking the region with varying intensities. Authorities urged people to stay alert for the next week, especially the next two to three days, for seismic intensity up to 7.
Rescue crews are in full operation
Heavy dust and intense heat—approaching 35C—have complicated recovery efforts. Hands‑on teams are combing rubble at the Aeon Mall in Kashima, a paper factory in Yatsushiro City, and a collapsed temple gate. The mall’s second floor collapsed, producing a white plume that rose into the sky while the structure’s outer skin was blown away.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the situation as a “race against time” to rescue trapped survivors. She confirmed that more than 4,600 personnel have been dispatched, including 300 air‑conditioners to mitigate the heat during cleanup.
Three workers are missing from the Aeon Mall, while four were taken to hospital from the site, and one person was saved from a bathroom. The mall’s President Akio Yoshida said the incident was “truly shocking” and offered an apology on a press conference.
Radio broadcasts show cracked roads, fires burning in houses, and widespread power cuts. Train services have been suspended and surrounding communities are still dealing with broken bridges and collapsed buildings, including the worship hall of the 19th‑century Yatsushiro Shrine.
In the aftermath, residents such as 75‑year‑old Hiroko Ogata, who owned a restaurant in Yatsushiro, survived the quake, describing the building’s sudden jolt and the hopeless feeling she once had—that she might die. An American tourist, Chantel Mohar, was also in Kumamoto, riding a tourist bus when alarms triggered across the area.
