Japan in a race against time to save survivors from earthquake rubble
At least 13 people have died in a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck southern Japan on Tuesday, with dozens more missing. Prime Minister Takaichi speaks of a race against time.
At least 13 people have died in a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck southern Japan on Tuesday, with dozens more missing. Prime Minister Takaichi speaks of a race against time.
At least 13 people have died in a powerful earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan's southern island of Kyushu on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, as rescuers race against time to find survivors trapped in the rubble, according to reports from BBC and Irish Independent.
The earthquake occurred at 4:27 p.m. local time, and a brief tsunami warning was issued but lifted within two hours. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) measured the magnitude at 7.1, while the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimated it at 6.8, a difference in readings that is common as seismologists analyze new data.
Three people died at the Aeon Mall shopping center in Kumamoto City, where part of the building collapsed after the earthquake. According to an official from the Kumamoto Prefecture Disaster Management Department, at least eight people were rescued from the rubble, and witnesses reported an explosion and smoke. The center's operator confirmed to AFP that an explosion occurred after staff and customers had been evacuated.
Nineteen people were earlier listed as missing at that center and at the nearby Nippon Paper Industries paper factory in Yatsushiro City, where a chimney collapsed. A crisis department official told the BBC: "Two people at the factory were found in cardiac arrest, and nine others are still considered missing." A Reuters aerial image shows a broken and collapsed chimney.
The earthquake also brought down parts of the historic walls of the 17th-century Kumamoto Castle. This is not the first time the structure has been damaged: in 2016, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake also damaged the castle and killed a total of 278 people in Kumamoto and neighboring Oita Prefectures, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.
A pedestrian bridge in the Kumamoto region also collapsed, and it is not yet clear if there were any injuries. According to local authorities, 36,700 households lost power, while numerous roads were also damaged. Japan Railways (JR) suspended train services across the entire island of Kyushu, and passengers on the Shinkansen bullet train had to spend the night in the cars after broken tracks prevented further travel; seven people were injured in the process.
"Rescue teams are racing against time to find survivors trapped in the rubble," said Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, as reported by the BBC. A total of 9,872 people have been evacuated.
The JMA has recorded more than 60 aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 1 to 4, complicating rescue efforts. BBC journalist Jake Kwon emphasized that the death toll is expected to rise further as information from the field is gathered.
