A major search-and-rescue operation is underway in southwestern Japan after a powerful earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture, leaving several people feared trapped inside a shopping mall, damaging buildings, sparking fires and causing widespread disruption.
Emergency responders worked through the night after the 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit on Tuesday afternoon. Authorities reported one confirmed death and more than 100 injuries, while rescue teams continued efforts to reach those believed to be trapped beneath collapsed structures.
Private broadcaster TBS reported that a “considerable number” of people were feared dead inside the Aeon Mall in Kashima after firefighters confirmed that part of the second floor had collapsed during the quake.
By Tuesday night, regional officials said 10 people were believed to be unaccounted for inside the shopping complex, according to public broadcaster NHK. Earlier, police sources quoted by NHK indicated that between 20 and 30 employees of the mall could not be reached.
Police, however, told AFP they could not yet confirm any fatalities inside the severely damaged building. Kyodo News reported that four people were rescued from the mall and taken to hospital, with all of them remaining conscious.
Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae assured the public that rescue operations would continue throughout the night.
Emergency vehicles are seen outside the Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima town, Kumamoto Prefecture, on July 29, 2026 after an earthquake struck the area. Photo by YUICHI YAMAZAKI / AFP
“We will work tirelessly through the night, starting with the rescue and lifesaving of those affected,” the Prime Minister said.
Authorities also expressed concern over another incident at a factory in Yatsushiro City, where part of a chimney collapsed. NHK reported that several workers there were also unaccounted for.
Elsewhere, one person reportedly died after a house collapsed during the earthquake, according to Kyodo News.
Television footage from across Kumamoto showed widespread destruction, including fires, damaged bridges, a derailed cargo train and several homes left dangerously unstable.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the earthquake struck at 4:27 p.m. (0727 GMT) with a magnitude of 7.1 and registered the maximum intensity of seven on Japan’s Shindo seismic scale.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) measured the quake at magnitude 6.8.
Several aftershocks followed, including one measuring 6.1 just over 40 minutes later.
Widespread Damage and Power Outages
Residents described scenes of panic as buildings shook violently.
Damage is seen to part of the Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima town, Kumamoto Prefecture on July 29, 2026 after an earthquake struck the area. Photo by YUICHI YAMAZAKI / AFP
Chiharu Hara, a 35-year-old recruitment consultant in Kumamoto, said the experience was frightening.
“The office swayed violently side to side. I was afraid it would collapse. Everyone panicked,” she told AFP.
Videos verified by AFP captured traffic lights, heavy vehicles and streetlights shaking intensely for around 20 seconds, while other footage showed cracked roads and sections of damaged pavement.
The earthquake also forced the closure of several roads, suspended Shinkansen bullet train services across affected areas and temporarily shut Kumamoto Airport before it later resumed operations.
Hospitals across the region received dozens of injured victims.
NHK reported that at least two hospitals admitted more than 50 injured patients each.
“People are coming in with burns and fractures from being trapped under objects due to the earthquake, and ambulances are constantly bringing in injured people,” one hospital worker told NHK.
“Inside the hospital, there are water leaks and electrical system failures.”
The broadcaster also reported that approximately 10 elderly residents sustained injuries at a nursing home.
Prime Minister Sanae confirmed that authorities had recorded “human casualties, building collapses, road damage, fires…,” along with widespread electricity and water outages.
Japan’s military deployed 3,600 personnel and 20 aircraft to support emergency operations and assess the extent of the destruction.
Verified videos circulating online also showed sections of the historic Kumamoto Castle walls collapsing during the tremor.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority confirmed that no abnormalities were detected at nearby nuclear facilities.
Kyushu Electric Power reported that around 45,000 homes and facilities lost electricity following the quake, although three nuclear reactors operating in the region continued functioning normally.
Japan’s Ongoing Earthquake Risk
A local NHK journalist reporting live shortly after the earthquake said the tremors continued well after the initial shock.
“Including myself, there may be some people who feel their hearts racing,” the reporter said.
Kumamoto has experienced devastating earthquakes before. In 2016, two powerful quakes measuring 6.5 and 7.3 struck the prefecture within two days, claiming 273 lives and injuring more than 2,800 people.
Japan remains one of the world’s most earthquake-prone nations because it sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where four major tectonic plates converge.
The country experiences hundreds of earthquakes every year, accounting for roughly 18 per cent of global seismic activity. While most are minor, stronger quakes continue to pose significant risks depending on their depth and location.
The nation still bears the scars of the devastating magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in 2011, which claimed or left missing about 18,500 people and triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
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