Kumamoto, Japan, July 29: Rescue teams, soldiers and emergency personnel continued an intensive search for survivors across Kumamoto Prefecture on Wednesday after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck southwestern Japan, killing at least 18 people and injuring dozens more while leaving widespread destruction across the region.
Officials said at least 62 people were injured, including six with serious injuries, while authorities warned that the death toll could rise further as rescue operations continued in collapsed buildings and heavily damaged communities.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the operation as “a race against time,” pledging that every available resource would be deployed to locate those still trapped beneath the rubble.
“There are people who are still waiting to be rescued, and it’s a race against time. We will go all out to find and rescue as many people as we can,” the Prime Minister said.
Shopping Mall Among Hardest-Hit Sites
One of the worst-affected locations was the Aeon Mall in Kashima City, where thousands of shoppers were inside when the earthquake struck.
The shopping centre was evacuated shortly before a gas explosion occurred in another section of the complex. Company officials said the explosion happened while some workers remained inside the building.
The collapse of the mall’s second floor trapped several people beneath the debris.
Aeon President Akio Yoshida confirmed that four people died at the shopping centre and that three others remained missing as rescue operations continued.
Television footage showed rescue crews working through collapsed ceilings, twisted steel beams and scattered debris in an effort to reach anyone still trapped.
Industrial Accident Claims Additional Lives
In nearby Yatsushiro, five workers were killed when a chimney collapsed at a Nippon Paper Industries factory during the earthquake.
Seven workers were rescued alive, while emergency officials said four others were still believed to be trapped beneath the debris.
Foreign Worker Among Victims
Authorities also confirmed the first reported foreign fatality from the disaster.
A Vietnamese technical intern was killed after a crane collapsed at the factory where he worked. According to the Vietnamese government, he had arrived in Japan earlier this year.
Seven other Vietnamese workers escaped safely, while a Vietnamese woman was hospitalized after suffering injuries when a wall collapsed.
Thousands Without Basic Services
The earthquake caused widespread disruption to essential services across Kumamoto Prefecture.
Officials reported that approximately:
- 34,900 households remained without electricity.
- 15,000 homes were without running water.
- More than 8,800 residents had been evacuated to over 400 emergency shelters.
Authorities were working to install additional power supplies and air-conditioning units at evacuation centres as temperatures remained dangerously high.
Transportation Disrupted
Transportation infrastructure also suffered significant impacts.
Bullet train services remained suspended as engineers inspected rail lines for structural damage.
Operations resumed at Aso Kumamoto Airport, although several airlines cancelled flights as a precaution while safety assessments continued.
International Assistance Joins Rescue Effort
Japan’s Self-Defense Forces joined firefighters, police officers and emergency responders in the massive rescue operation.
Firefighters from Taiwan also travelled to Kumamoto to assist Japanese authorities in searching collapsed buildings and supporting recovery efforts.
The federal government has begun delivering food, drinking water and emergency supplies to the hardest-hit communities.
A Region Familiar With Disaster
The latest earthquake struck nearly a decade after the devastating 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, which claimed more than 50 lives and caused extensive damage across the region.
Japan sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world’s most active seismic zones, making it one of the most earthquake-prone countries globally.
As rescue teams continue searching damaged buildings and industrial sites, authorities caution that casualty figures may continue to change while emergency operations remain focused on locating survivors and restoring essential services to affected communities.