Several feared trapped in collapsed shopping mall after 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Japan
TOKYO —
Several people are trapped inside a shopping mall that partially collapsed in an explosion after a large 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Japanese city of Kumamoto on Tuesday, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK.
The second floor of the Aeon Mall shopping center in Kashima Town collapsed, trapping an unknown number of people. Around 20 to 30 employees were missing while several other people were dug out and taken to a hospital, Kyodo News agency reported, quoting local police.
An aerial view shows the damaged Aeon Mall shopping centre after an explosion following an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 that struck Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday.
The earthquake struck the city of Kumamoto, about 55 miles east of Nagasaki in southern Japan, on Tuesday afternoon local time, causing a highway bridge to buckle and at least one other building to collapse.
In their initial estimate, local police said nine people were unaccounted for, but Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stressed to reporters the number of casualties and extent of the damage was unclear and still being assessed, Reuters reported.
“We have already been informed that people have been injured,” Takaichi said. “Power outages and fires have occurred in some areas, and there has also been damage to roads and bridges and the collapse of buildings.”
Chipmaker TSMC evacuated workers from its plant in the area as a precaution, a spokesperson for the firm told Reuters.
Kyodo News agency said a hospital in Yatsushiro city accepted about 40 people with injuries from the quake. A train was derailed and fell on its side at the Yatsushiro station, and stone walls were damaged at the Kumamoto castle, Kyodo said.
Yozo Kai, a priest at a Shinto shrine in the nearby town of Mashiki, said a few stone lanterns fell down. “I worried if the main hall and the gate would tilt again,” he told Kyodo.
A massive earthquake in Kumamoto 10 years ago killed 275 people and injured 2,739 more.
“The shaking reminded me of the Kumamoto quake (10 years ago) and I was frightened,” said Hiroki Shimoda, an official at the Mifune town hall, who saw rooftiles of nearby homes crash down to the ground.
Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said there were no reports of damage to major public facilities and infrastructure, though authorities were still assessing the extent of damage. Local fire departments received many emergency calls reporting fires and damage to homes.
“We are putting people’s lives as the top priority,” Takaichi said, urging residents in the strongly shaken areas to use caution in light of possible aftershocks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.