7.1-magnitude earthquake strikes southern Japan; 2 Dead, dozens injured or missing
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Japan's southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday, leaving at least two people feared dead and dozens injured or missing after a shopping centre and a factory chimney collapsed. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ordered authorities to prioritise rescue efforts and urged residents to remain alert for strong aftershocks.
In Kashima town, the second floor of an Aeon Mall shopping centre collapsed following an explosion believed to have been caused by a gas leak, trapping an unknown number of people, according to the Kumamoto prefectural emergency response team and Japanese broadcaster NHK. Four people were rescued with injuries and taken to hospital, while 10 others remained unaccounted for.
At a Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro, a large chimney collapsed and part of the building was damaged, trapping 11 people under debris. Two were later found without vital signs, while the condition of the other nine was unknown, the emergency response team said.
Takaichi said there were reports of damage to roads, bridges and buildings, along with power outages and fires, although authorities were still assessing the full extent of the damage. She said the government had set up a task force to gather information, assess the damage and prepare for rescue operations.
More than 260,000 people were advised to evacuate, mainly in Kumamoto prefecture and also in neighbouring Nagasaki prefecture, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. Kumamoto police received more than 100 emergency calls following the earthquake, NHK reported.
A tsunami advisory issued for the Ariake and Yatsushiro seas along the western coast of Kumamoto and three neighbouring prefectures was lifted within two hours, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The agency said the earthquake occurred at a depth of about 10 kilometres (6 miles). The affected area is about 900 kilometres (560 miles) southwest of Tokyo.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said there was no immediate major damage to public facilities or infrastructure. The Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities were reported at three nearby nuclear power plants.
The earthquake disrupted transport and industrial operations across Kyushu. Shinkansen bullet trains and local train services were suspended for safety checks, while the runway at Aso Kumamoto Airport was closed.
Toyota Motor Corp. suspended operations at three factories in Kyushu over safety concerns, while Honda Motor Co. and Nippon Paper also halted operations. Yamato Transport stopped delivery services to and from Kumamoto, according to the Nikkei business daily.
The Japanese Defence Ministry dispatched military aircraft to assess the damage.
A train reportedly derailed and overturned at Yatsushiro station, while stone walls at Kumamoto Castle were damaged. The castle was badly affected by a series of earthquakes in 2016 and remains under repair.
Shinji Kiyomoto of the Japan Meteorological Agency urged residents to remain cautious over the next two to three days because of the possibility of further strong shaking.
The 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes killed at least 50 people and caused widespread damage across the region.
(Source: AP/ PTI)
