Multiple people are presumed dead after two powerful earthquakes struck Japan's south-western Kyushu island, collapsing a shopping centre and disrupting the lives of thousands. The initial magnitude-7.1 quake hit Kumamoto prefecture at 4:35pm local time on Tuesday. Just 37 minutes later, a magnitude-6.1 tremor followed at 5:12pm. These seismic events have once again brought devastation to a region already familiar with such natural forces.
A major rescue operation commenced at the Aeon Mall shopping centre. There, “many people” were trapped after the complex's second floor gave way. Police reported that “quite a few” were presumed dead in the incident, according to broadcaster TBS. An explosion also occurred, though its exact cause remains unclear.
Between 20 and 30 workers trapped inside the mall could not be reached, NHK reported. The shopping centre, home to about 200 shops and businesses, had only recently reopened. It sustained significant damage during the magnitude 7.3 Kumamoto earthquake in April 2016, marking its tenth anniversary this year.
Kazuya Tsurunaga, cleaning dishes in a pub 300 metres from the mall, described hearing the explosion. “It was a huge impact,” he told TBS. “A large cloud of smoke billowed up, and because the wind happened to be blowing and the wind direction was towards the shop, the area around us was in a state like volcanic ash was falling.” A chimney collapse at a Nippon Paper Industries factory also left multiple people unaccounted for.
Impact on the People
The tremors caused widespread power outages, affecting at least 48,000 households in Kumamoto prefecture. Fires erupted in several locations across the region. The Japanese government issued emergency earthquake warnings for seven prefectures on Kyushu island: Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, and Miyazaki.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed human casualties, building collapses, road damage, and fires. Police are actively seeking the whereabouts of nine individuals. A train was derailed during the earthquake, further complicating rescue efforts and transport.
Train operator JR Kyushu suspended all services, including its high-speed Shinkansen trains. Kumamoto airport shut its runway, diverting and cancelling flights, though it plans to resume normal operations on Wednesday. This immediate shutdown of critical infrastructure underscores the profound disruption to daily life for the native population.
National Response and External Oversight
Prime Minister Takaichi urged local fire stations to respond and advised people to stay away from the coast. She called an Emergency Assembly Team meeting in the Countermeasures Room to assess the quake's impact. An investigation team was dispatched from the government cabinet office, demonstrating a national effort to manage the crisis.
Kyushu Electric Power reported no irregularities at its Sendai and Genkai nuclear power stations. Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority found no abnormalities at three nearby nuclear power plants. However, the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, confirmed it was informed by Japan's authority that there was no damage or safety issues at the Sendai plant. The IAEA stated it would continue to monitor the situation, asserting its role in overseeing Japan's critical energy infrastructure.
Japan, situated along the Ring of Fire, is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, experiencing a tremor at least every five minutes. It accounts for about 20 per cent of global earthquakes of magnitude-6 or more. The repeated devastation, such as the deadly 2016 quake that killed over 50 people and damaged tens of thousands of homes, highlights the ongoing struggle of the Japanese people against these powerful natural forces.