A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu on Tuesday afternoon, prompting emergency warnings and prompting authorities to assess the extent of the damage.
On Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said 13 people had been found dead since the quake struck. He said several other people were still missing, suggesting the death toll was not final.
What do we know about rescue efforts?
More than 9,000 people were in evacuation centers as of Wednesday amid rescue efforts.
Government spokesman Minoru Kihara said, “We have received reports of seven people seriously injured and 29 people lightly injured. Additionally, as of 7:00 a.m. today (2200 GMT Tuesday), 9,186 people have sought shelter in 506 evacuation centers in five prefectures, including Kumamoto and Fukuoka.”
At least two of the victims died in a shopping mall in Kashima and a third died in a building collapse in a city near the epicenter.
Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK, reported that “several people” were trapped inside a shopping mall damaged by the earthquake.
Several people were rescued from the mall, including a man who was reported to be in cardiopulmonary arrest.
The mall collapsed following an explosion possibly caused by a gas leak, NHK reported.
“Even now, people are waiting to be rescued, and it is a race against time. We will use all available resources on the ground to try and rescue as many people as possible,” Takachi told reporters at his office in Tokyo a day after the quake.
Officials assess damage as tsunami threat subsides
Prime Minister Takachi also said that initial reports indicated several injuries, damage to civilian infrastructure, and fires in several affected areas.
“We are still assessing the injuries and property damage, but I have been informed that there have already been many injuries,” Takaichi said.
“There are power cuts and fires in some areas, roads and bridges have been damaged and buildings have collapsed,” he said.
Although the earthquake caused widespread disruption and temporarily raised tsunami fears, officials later confirmed that the threat had subsided and that Japan’s coastline was no longer in danger.
“The earthquake occurred inland and no tsunami activity has been observed so far,” a spokesman for the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. “For this reason, we expect to lift the tsunami advisory at a relatively early stage, depending on future sea level conditions.”
Electricity and nuclear facilities remain safe
Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority reported that no abnormalities were found at three nearby nuclear power plants, providing reassurance in a country still sensitive to nuclear safety concerns after the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
However, the earthquake caused power supply disruptions across the region. According to Kyushu Electric Power, about 45,000 homes and facilities in Kumamoto temporarily lost power after the earthquake.
Several major industrial facilities are located near the earthquake zone, including the operations of Sony and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chip manufacturer. Sony said it was evaluating conditions at its facilities, while TSMC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Japan has a long history of major earthquakes
Kumamoto is not spared from devastating seismic events.
In 2016, two major earthquakes struck the region, first a magnitude 6.5 earthquake and then a magnitude 7.3 earthquake two days later. 273 people lost their lives and more than 2,800 were injured in this disaster. Thousands of buildings were either damaged or destroyed, making it one of Japan’s most devastating recent earthquake disasters.
Most recently, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck northern Japan on June 25, causing little damage and no deaths. Earlier this year, on April 20, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in northern Japan injured at least ten people and shook buildings as high as Tokyo, forcing authorities to issue a temporary advisory warning of the increased risk of an even stronger earthquake. That advisory was lifted after a week.
One of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world
Japan is located on the western edge of the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, one of the most active seismic zones on Earth where four major tectonic plates meet.
Home to approximately 125 million people, the country experiences hundreds of earthquakes each year and is responsible for approximately 18% of the world’s seismic activity.
While most tremors are relatively minor, Japan is still haunted by memories of the devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck the country’s northeast coast in March 2011. The disaster killed about 18,500 people or went missing and triggered the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
Tuesday’s earthquake demonstrated the country’s preparedness systems, emergency response capabilities and monitoring of critical infrastructure.
As officials continue to assess the impact of the Kumamoto earthquake, residents are being urged to remain alert to possible aftershocks and follow official safety guidance.
Edited by: Dmytro Lyubenko and Rana Taha
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