By AFP and published by CNA
TOKYO: A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday (July 28), knocking out power to thousands of homes, rupturing roads and leaving some trapped and others reported dead inside a partially collapsed shopping mall.
In “Kashima town, a shopping complex’s second floor collapsed, leaving many people trapped inside”, the fire department said in a statement.
Broadcaster TBS said that a “considerable number” of people died in the shopping mall, though police told AFP they could not confirm whether there were any fatalities.
Fuji TV also reported that multiple deaths were confirmed at the Aeon Mall outlet in the Kumamoto region.
Speaking to reporters at her office in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said authorities were still assessing the full extent of the damage in the area, which was devastated by a deadly quake a decade ago.
“We have already been informed that people have been injured. Power outages and fires have occurred in some areas, and there has also been damage to roads and bridges and the collapse of buildings,” Takaichi said.
“I ask everyone to take action to protect themselves, including evacuating to a safe location.”
Around 300,000 people have been instructed to go to evacuation centres, the disaster management agency said, while Takaichi said 3,600 soldiers would be deployed to help with the disaster recovery as aftershocks continued to rumble.
“Like volcano ash was falling”
One hospital had reported more than 50 injuries, public broadcaster NHK said. Several people on a high-speed train at the time of the quake were also injured, media reported.
Multiple people were trapped inside an Aeon shopping mall rocked by an explosion that occurred after the earthquake, fire services said. Police said “quite a few” were presumed dead in the incident, broadcaster TBS reported.
An Aeon spokesperson said customers and employees were evacuated right after the initial quake and that the exact cause of the ensuing explosion was unclear.
Kazuya Tsurunaga told TBS he heard the explosion while cleaning up dishes broken by the earthquake inside a pub about 300 metres from the Aeon mall.
“It was a huge impact,” he said. “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.”
Buildings on fire
Several other buildings were also on fire or partially collapsed, according to footage from NHK, while large cracks appeared on major roads, including an elevated highway. Rail services were halted and flights grounded.
TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, evacuated workers from its plant in the area as a precaution, a spokesperson for the firm said.
Sony and Fujifilm also evacuated staff from their plants in the area, Nikkei newspaper reported. A Sony spokesperson earlier said it was checking the situation.
The quake’s epicentre was about 20km south of Kumamoto, central Kyushu island’s largest city with a population of around 700,000.
Residents in the areas that felt the biggest tremors must beware of further strong quakes for about a week, as well as the risk of landslides, an official for the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Tsunami warning lifted
Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, with a tremor occurring at least every five minutes.
Located along the “Ring of Fire” of volcanoes and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin, Japan accounts for about 20% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or more.
A tsunami warning was issued immediately after Tuesday’s quake, but was later lifted.
Kyushu Electric Power said 48,000 homes had lost power as a result of the latest quake, while railway company JR Kyushu said that it had suspended services, including its high-speed bullet trains.
Kumamoto airport also shut its runway, as airlines diverted and cancelled flights.
Telecoms operators KDDI and Docomo said there was disruption to their mobile phone services due to power shortages and transmission-line failures.
There were no irregularities reported at the nuclear power stations in the area, Japan’s nuclear regulation authority said.
A massive earthquake in Kumamoto 10 years ago killed 275 people and injured a further 2,739, based on an official count. It damaged thousands of buildings including the city’s castle, a top tourist site.
Some portions of the stone walls at the castle also collapsed as a result of Tuesday’s quake, an official at the castle’s office said.
CAPTIONS:
Top: An aerial view shows the damaged Aeon Mall shopping centre in Kashima Town, after a powerful earthquake struck Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture, on July 28, 2026. Photo: Reuters/Kyodo and published by CNA
First insert: Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaking to the media at her official residence in Tokyo, Japan, after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture on July 28, 2026. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters and published by CNA
Second insert: Map by CNA.
Third insert: A collapsed part of Kumamoto Castle’s stone walls after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck Kumamoto, southern Japan, on July 28, 2026. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters and published by CNA
Front Page: An aerial view showing the damaged Aeon Mall after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck Kashima in Kumamoto prefecture, southern Japan, on July 28, 2026. Photo: Reuters/Kyodo and published by CNA
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