At least 13 killed as earthquake leaves dozens trapped in Kumamoto shopping mall

At least 13 people have been killed after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Japan's Kumamoto prefecture late on Tuesday, with rescue teams still searching for dozens believed trapped in a shopping mall in Kumamoto city. The quake caused severe shaking across the region, including in Yatsushiro, where residents described buildings lurching and shelves collapsing. Emergency crews are continuing operations as authorities assess the scale of the damage.

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Three of the confirmed dead were at the Aeon shopping mall in Kumamoto city, where dozens are still believed to be trapped. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said emergency services were in a race against time and ordered 4,600 personnel to assist with recovery shortly after the tremor struck. She said teams would work tirelessly through the night to assess and monitor damage in the affected areas.

The earthquake has also caused widespread disruption beyond the immediate rescue effort. Tens of thousands of people have experienced power and water outages across Kumamoto City, and at least 45 medical facilities have been damaged. The exterior walls of Kumamoto Castle, a 17th-century landmark in the city centre, also collapsed in the shaking, adding to the visible impact of the disaster.

The scale of the damage has revived memories of the 2016 earthquakes in the same prefecture, when a pair of quakes killed 277 people and injured 2,800 others. The latest tremor has again exposed the vulnerability of communities in central Kumamoto, which lies on an active tectonic fault system and is no stranger to seismic activity. For local residents and businesses, the immediate concern is now survival, access to medical care and the restoration of basic services.

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Witness accounts from Yatsushiro underline how abruptly the quake hit and how difficult it was to react. One diner co-owner, Hiroko Ogata, said she had never experienced such a strong jolt and described taking shelter under a table as the building moved sharply from side to side. Another woman, identified only as Yui, said she could not tell the sound of the earthquake from the sound of an explosion as the shaking continued in repeated jolts.

What remains unclear is the full number of people still trapped, the condition of those inside the shopping mall and how many of the injured may yet be found. Authorities are still working to confirm the extent of structural damage across Kumamoto prefecture, including to homes, roads and public buildings. The next phase of the response will depend on whether rescue teams can reach those trapped before conditions worsen further.

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