Japan: Earthquake leaves at least 13 dead and 9,000 people in evacuation centers

The 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu in Japan has left at least 13 people dead, according to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, although the number is expected to rise as rescue efforts continue. In addition, at least 100 people were injured, while 9,000 more remain sheltered in evacuation centers due to the collapse of multiple buildings.

Furthermore, rescue workers are continuing a race against time to find people trapped under the rubble of the shopping center that collapsed due to the powerful earthquake. "Significant damage has been confirmed, including casualties, building collapses, fires, and damage to roads," the official added.

Two people were killed at the affected shopping mall, where one floor collapsed, a regional official in Kumamoto told AFP earlier. The official added that another person was in cardiac arrest.

Significant damage

The building, located in Kashima on the outskirts of Kumamoto City, was rocked by an explosion following the earthquake. Ceilings and walls collapsed, exposing its metal framework. "The explosion occurred after customers and staff had been evacuated," a spokesperson for Aeon, the company that operates the complex, told AFP.

In addition, eight people were rescued at the scene, including five who were injured, a local official told the French news agency.

Some reports had initially mentioned that between 20 and 30 people were trapped inside, but "that number appears to be lower," police said on Wednesday, as reported by public television station NHK, although they considered it "certain that some employees remain trapped there." Due to the lack of a safe access route, it is difficult to enter the site, the agency said.

The regional official also told AFP that two other people were in cardiopulmonary arrest at a paper mill in the city of Yatsushiro, where a chimney collapsed. Nine other people remain missing at the site, authorities said.

More than 9,000 evacuees

In addition, more than 9,000 people sought shelter overnight in evacuation centers, the government announced, also reporting seven people seriously injured and 29 with minor injuries in the affected region.

The earthquake, which occurred on Tuesday at 4:27 p.m. (local time) on the island of Kyushu, reached the maximum level (7) on the Shindo seismic intensity scale, a Japanese standard that measures the strength with which earthquakes are felt, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

Television footage showed several fires, partially destroyed highway bridges, shattered buildings, and overturned freight train cars.

"I fear this will have a major impact on our tourism"

"It was the most violent earthquake I've ever felt. The walls and windows were damaged. The main gate, designated a national cultural heritage site, collapsed," lamented Kanzo Matsumoto, 73, manager of a hot spring hotel in Yatsushiro.

"The water supply is cut off, and we are no longer accepting guests. I fear this will have a major impact on our tourism," Matsumoto lamented.

According to NHK television, two hospitals reported that they had treated at least 50 injured patients each. "People are arriving with burns and fractures after being trapped under debris due to the earthquake, and ambulances keep bringing in the injured," said a hospital employee, according to NHK.

The military mobilized 3,600 personnel

The Japanese military mobilized 3,600 personnel for rescue efforts and dispatched 20 aircraft to assess the damage.

In footage verified by AFP, heavy-duty trucks, streetlights, and traffic lights can be seen swaying violently for about twenty seconds. High-speed train service in the region was suspended.

However, no immediate abnormalities were detected at the region's nuclear power plants, according to Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority.

Nearly 40,000 households without power

Nevertheless, as of Wednesday, some 36,880 households and facilities remained without power in Kumamoto Prefecture, according to Kyushu Electric Power.

The region had been struck in 2016 by two devastating earthquakes: one with a magnitude of 6.5, followed two days later by another with a magnitude of 7.3. They caused 273 deaths and more than 2,800 injuries.

Japan is one of the countries most prone to earthquakes in the world because it is located at the junction of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire.

The country remains haunted by the memory of the massive magnitude 9.0 undersea earthquake that occurred in 2011, which triggered a devastating tsunami that left approximately 18,500 people dead or missing and caused a catastrophe at the Fukushima.