13 dead, several trapped as mall explodes after massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake jolts Japan
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the death toll had risen from the three fatalities reported immediately after Tuesday's quake and warned that rescuers were racing against time to reach people trapped beneath collapsed structures.
PTC News Desk: At least 13 people were killed while several others are trapped after a mall exploded in Japan following a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake triggering building collapses, road damage and widespread power outages, as rescue teams continued an intensive search for survivors on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the death toll had risen from the three fatalities reported immediately after Tuesday's quake and warned that rescuers were racing against time to reach people trapped beneath collapsed structures.
"Even now, there are people waiting to be rescued, and this is a race against time. We will marshal all available resources on the ground to save and rescue as many people as possible," Takaichi said.
A powerful earthquake struck southern Japan late Tuesday afternoon, with its epicentre about 20 kilometres south of Kumamoto City on Kyushu island. The quake caused major damage, cracking roads, cutting electricity to tens of thousands of homes, and disrupting transport and industrial activities across the region.
One of the worst-hit locations was a shopping mall, where part of the building collapsed. About an hour later, a suspected gas leak triggered an explosion, killing two women in their 20s. Rescue teams pulled eight people alive from the debris early Wednesday and continued searching for survivors after reports of people trapped under the rubble. According to NHK, around 20 to 30 mall workers were initially missing.
Another serious incident took place at a Nippon Paper Industries factory, where a large chimney collapsed. Seven people were reported missing, while four others suffered serious injuries.
Hospitals in the affected areas were overwhelmed with injured people. A hospital in Uki city near the epicentre said a long power outage forced it to operate like a field hospital. Another hospital stopped admitting new patients after treating 86 injured people, including three who were in critical condition. Several passengers on high-speed trains were also injured during the earthquake.