People trapped in Japan shopping center after major earthquake

A major 7.1-magnitude earthquake has shaken southwestern Japan, trapping people inside a collapsed shopping center in Kashima town. Emergency services reported that the second floor of the complex gave way, leaving an unknown number of individuals inside.

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In “Kashima town, a shopping complex’s second floor collapsed, leaving many people trapped inside,”

Earlier, police received reports of an explosion-like sound at an Aeon Mall in the Kumamoto region, but details on damage and casualties were not immediately available. The earthquake, which hit at a shallow depth of 10km, registered the highest possible level seven on Japan's Shindo seismic intensity scale. The Japan Meteorological Agency initially issued a tsunami warning for waves up to one meter in Ariake Bay and Yatsushiro Sea, but has since withdrawn it.

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At around 4:27 p.m. today, an earthquake with its epicenter in the Kumamoto region of Kumamoto Prefecture occurred, and strong shaking with a maximum seismic intensity of 7 was observed in Uki City and Makigawa Town in Kumamoto Prefecture. In connection with this earthquake, a tsunami advisory has been issued for Ariake Bay and Yatsushiro Sea, and tsunamis of about 1 meter are expected. Please refrain from approaching the coast. As the government, immediately after the earthquake, we have established the Prime Minister’s Office Countermeasures Room in the Prime Minister’s Office Crisis Management Center, an

In response to the disaster, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed the government has assembled an "Emergency Assembly Team." The UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, stated that Japan's nuclear regulatory authority reported no damage or safety issues at the Sendai nuclear power plant following the quake. This region was severely impacted in 2016 by two major earthquakes that resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries.

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The IAEA will continue ⁠to monitor the ​situation,”