A powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck southwestern Japan’s Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday afternoon, leaving at least 18 people dead, dozens injured, and tens of thousands without power or water. A subsequent gas explosion at a severely damaged shopping mall complicated desperate rescue efforts as emergency workers raced against time.
The Disaster Unfolds: Shaking on Kyushu Island
The major tremor hit the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu at 4:27 p.m. local time, registering at the highest level on Japan’s shindo scale of seismic shaking. The United States Geological Survey measured the temblor at a magnitude of 6.8 at a depth of 10 kilometers. Across the region, the violent motion buckled roads, triggered fires, and brought down walls at historical sites including the centuries-old Kumamoto Castle.
Chiharu Hara, a 35-year-old recruitment agent working in Kumamoto, recalled the terror as the tremor hit. The office swayed violently side to side. I was afraid it would collapse. Everyone panicked,
she told reporters.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed the rising death toll on Wednesday. Extensive damage has been confirmed, including casualties, collapsed buildings, fires and damage to roads,
Takaichi told reporters, noting that officials were actively confirming whether all fatalities stemmed directly from the initial tremor.
Mall Explosion Compounds Tragedy in Kashima
While the initial quake caused widespread structural failures, the disaster took a deadlier turn at the Aeon Mall in Kashima city. The prefecture’s largest shopping complex had recently reopened last month as a new and improved shopping and entertainment complex designed to commemorate its recovery from another deadly tremor a decade ago. Operators had heavily touted the facility’s seismically reinforced ceilings and overall improvements to safety and resilience as part of its redevelopment.
Those safety systems faced an immediate test when the floor shook violently for 10 seconds. Store employees successfully evacuated an estimated 3,000 shoppers into the parking lot within half an hour. However, roughly 50 minutes after the initial tremor, a massive gas explosion ripped through another section of the complex where some staff members were still working or had returned.
“I thought a bomb had gone off.”
Takateru Sonoda, salon and cafe owner near the mall, via Jiji Press
Aeon President Akio Yoshida addressed the media in Kumamoto, bowing deeply alongside two other executives to express remorse. We confirmed that all customers had been evacuated. We believed that employees had also evacuated, but it later emerged that some people had remained inside, or returned for whatever reason,
Yoshida said, confirming that four deaths were tied directly to the mall site.
Factory Collapses and Lifesaving Rescue Operations
Beyond the shopping center, heavy industry also suffered catastrophic failures. At a Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro, a chimney collapse killed five people, while emergency teams rescued seven others from the debris. Among the fatalities across the prefecture was a Vietnamese technical intern killed by a falling crane at his workplace.
Rescue operations faced severe impediments. More than 100 aftershocks rattled Kumamoto by the end of Tuesday, prompting police officers and firefighters to temporarily stay out of unstable wreckage due to collapse risks.
Prime Minister Takaichi emphasized the urgency of the ongoing deployment.
Infrastructure Strain and Uncertain Days Ahead
Basic infrastructure across Kyushu remains heavily compromised.
Transportation networks also suffered significant disruptions. High-speed shinkansen bullet train services remained suspended, and Aso Kumamoto Airport temporarily closed before resuming operations late Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, the Japan Meteorological Agency urged residents across the region to remain cautious over the next two to three days as aftershock risks persist.
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