Officials Warn of Numerous People Trapped in Mall Collapse Following Japan Earthquake

A 6.8‑magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Japan on Tuesday afternoon, sparking fires near the epicenter, damaging structures and roadways, and leaving dozens injured, according to Japan’s public broadcaster.

Fire officials said they are rushing to rescue individuals feared trapped inside a shopping mall in a southern district of Kumamoto City after the building’s second floor collapsed, injuring at least two people. Aerial video revealed extensive damage to the mall.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the quake occurred around 4:30 p.m. local time in Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s main islands. Local officials noted that the tremor’s force collapsed buildings across the region, entrapping occupants and igniting fires in Kumamoto City, the prefectural capital.

One person recovered from a collapsed residence and transported to a Kumamoto hospital later died, the Kumamoto Prefectural Police reported. Meanwhile, at least 50 injured individuals were receiving treatment at a hospital in Hikawa, a town south of the city, according to NHK.

NHK aerial footage showed that elevated sections of the Kyushu Expressway had snapped in two, while other clips displayed a partially collapsed wall at Kumamoto Castle, a historic landmark in the city center. Takaichi added that authorities are assessing the extent of damage to buildings and bridges.

The U.S. Geological Survey located the earthquake’s epicenter near Uto, a coastal city roughly 30 miles from Kumamoto City within the same prefecture. The agency originally logged the event as a 7.1‑magnitude tremor before revising it downward.

Transportation across the region was disrupted by the quake. Train services on Kyushu were halted, and Kumamoto International Airport—which serves the metropolitan area of over 700,000 residents—announced it was closed. Local police said at least twelve houses had collapsed, four of them with people still inside.

The Fire and Disaster Management Authority reported at least seven fires breaking out throughout the prefecture, the majority centered in Kumamoto City.

The Japan Meteorological Agency warned that aftershocks of comparable magnitude could occur in the coming days.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said there were no indications of abnormality at the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in neighboring Kagoshima Prefecture, which hosts two reactors and supplies power to the Kyushu region.

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