A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu, causing injuries, power outages, and building collapses. Dozens of people were injured, and shoppers were trapped inside Aeon Mall.
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, causing injuries, material damage, and a tsunami warning. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the earthquake occurred at 16:27 local time (07:27 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometers, with its epicenter near the city of Uki, south of Kumamoto, reports Al Jazeera English.
The main shock was followed by an aftershock of magnitude 6.1, and authorities warned of the possibility of further strong tremors over the next week. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called on residents of affected areas to "remain vigilant due to the possibility of another earthquake of similar magnitude," she posted on social media platform X, as reported by Al Jazeera English.
The JMA immediately issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas, including Ariake Bay along the western coast of Kumamoto, with predicted waves up to one meter high. Residents were urged to move away from the coast, and the warning was later lifted. According to a report from Spanish newspaper El Mundo, authorities ordered the evacuation of more than 150,000 people to safety centers.
The government issued emergency warnings for seven prefectures on Kyushu Island: Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, and Miyazaki, according to Al Jazeera English and other sources.
The earthquake caused significant damage. Social media footage shows cracked viaducts, landslides, and collapsed walls of the historic Kumamoto Castle, writes Slobodna Dalmacija. On the Kyushu Expressway, sections of a bridge were damaged, reports Net.hr, and a freight train derailed. Kumamoto Airport closed its runway, while railway company JR Kyushu suspended all services, including Shinkansen bullet trains.
Electricity supply was severely disrupted. Kyushu Electric Power reported about 40,000 homes without power, while local authorities cited around 48,000 households in Kumamoto alone, according to Tportal. Telecom operators KDDI and Docomo reported mobile network outages, according to El Mundo. The Nuclear Regulation Authority confirmed no irregularities at nearby nuclear plants, reports Al Jazeera English.
One of the most dramatic situations is unfolding at Aeon Mall. According to Japanese television TBS, there was a powerful explosion and an alleged collapse at the facility, with reports of a "significant number" of dead inside the mall, reports El Mundo. Prefectural police confirmed the explosion, but rescue teams warned they still cannot assess the extent of the damage or reach any potential victims. On the other hand, Al Jazeera English, Slobodna Dalmacija, Net.hr, and Tportal do not mention fatalities in their reports, only stating that people were trapped inside the mall. According to Slobodna Dalmacija, social media is circulating footage of desperate people inside the collapsed building.
Police are also trying to contact nine people whose location is unknown, reports El Mundo.
Public broadcaster NHK reports that at least 50 people have been hospitalized, including ten residents of a nursing home, reports Tportal. Prime Minister Takaichi said from her office in Tokyo: "We have been informed that there are injured people." In a statement reported by Net.hr via NHK, she added: "We have already received information about injured people. In some areas, power outages and fires have been reported, and there has been damage to roads and bridges, as well as building collapses."
The government has established a crisis headquarters to coordinate rescue operations. Tech giants Sony and TSMC, which have plants in the affected area, have taken precautions: TSMC evacuated workers, and Sony is assessing the condition of its facilities, reports Al Jazeera English.
The earthquake recalled the devastating Kumamoto earthquake ten years ago, in 2016, which killed 275 people and injured 2,739, according to official data cited by Al Jazeera English.
