&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Japan earthquake: 13 dead, 9,000 in evacuation centres after 7.1-magnitude quake cause widespread destruction")
At least 13 people were killed after a massive 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Japan a day earlier, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Wednesday (Jul 29). The quake damaged several buildings as rescuers race to locate survivors trapped under the rubble. This comes after a powerful earthquake hit the country’s southwestern region of Kumamoto prefecture on Kyushu island, resulting in widespread destruction, triggering fires and leaving thousands of homes without power.
“Thirteen people have died,” Takaichi said, confirming the death toll a day after the tremor that was recorded at the highest level on Japan’s Shindo scale of seismic shaking.
“Extensive damage has been confirmed, including casualties, collapsed buildings, fires and damage to roads,” she added.
According to officials, more than 9,000 people were in evacuation centres across five prefectures. “We have received reports of seven people with serious injuries and 29 with minor injuries. Furthermore, as of 7:00 am today (2200 GMT Tuesday), 9,186 people have sought refuge in 506 evacuation centres across five prefectures, including Kumamoto and Fukuoka,” government spokesman Minoru Kihara said on Wednesday (Jul 29).
Among the worst-hit areas was a shopping mall in Kashima, where a suspected gas explosion reportedly caused parts of the structure to collapse. Officials said eight people were rescued from the building, while several others suffered injuries. Authorities were still trying to determine the exact number of people trapped inside.
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Rescue teams also faced challenges at a Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro, where a damaged smokestack partially collapsed. Local officials said nine people were reported missing from the facility.
The earthquake caused multiple emergencies across Kumamoto, including damaged bridges, disrupted transport services and collapsed sections of roads. A pedestrian walkway collapsed into a river, while a freight train was reportedly overturned during the quake.
Japan is one of the world’s most seismically active countries. The island nation lies on top of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific “Ring of Fire”. With a population of about 125 million people, Japan experiences about 1,500 earthquakes every year and accounts for about 18 per cent of the earthquakes in the world.
In 2011, the country was struck by a massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake, which triggered a tsunami. About 18,500 people were killed or went missing in the disaster.
In August 2024, the JMA issued a “megaquake” warning along the Nankai Trough and a subsequent tsunami that could kill as many as 298,000 people and result in damages of up to $2 trillion.
