Emergency workers are continuing their search for survivors in southern Japan following yesterday's powerful earthquake, which has caused widespread devastation. Buildings have collapsed, roads are severely damaged, and emergency teams are digging through rubble.
At least 13 people have been killed and many are reported missing after the earthquake struck the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu. The Japan Meteorological Agency measured the magnitude at 7.1, while the US Geological Survey reported it as 6.8.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that rescue workers face a “race against time” to reach people still trapped. She added, “We will go all out to find and rescue as many people as we can.”
Eight individuals were rescued from a partially collapsed Aeon shopping centre near Kumamoto after an apparent explosion occurred about an hour after the earthquake. Aeon has reported that four workers from the shopping centre remain unaccounted for. Separately, seven people are still missing at the Nippon Paper Industries factory, where a chimney collapsed onto the site. Four people were rescued from the paper mill rubble, with two sustaining serious injuries, according to Japan’s Mainichi newspaper.
Chief government spokesperson Minoru Kihara told reporters that nearly 37,000 homes are still without electricity, 9,500 homes lack gas, and communication networks are not functioning in some areas. More than 9,000 people have evacuated their homes and are staying in over 500 shelters.