Rescuers hunt survivors in Japan after quake toll hits 13

Rescuers frantically searched for survivors in southern Japan on Wednesday after a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck, killing at least 13 people. The tremor caused extensive damage, knocking out power to thousands of homes and rupturing roads.

In a harrowing scene, eight people were pulled from the rubble of a partially collapsed shopping mall near Kumamoto. The building was torn apart by an apparent explosion about an hour after the initial earthquake. Tragically, three of the rescued individuals died. Mall operator Aeon reported that four workers remained unaccounted for after checks of its approximately 2,700 staff. Customers had been evacuated immediately after the first quake.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi vowed to "marshal all available resources on the ground to save and rescue as many people as possible." Authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion at the Aeon mall, with initial reports suggesting a possible gas leak. Rescuers detected gas inside the building, but the exact cause remains under investigation, according to Japan's top government spokesperson Minoru Kihara.

Emergency teams, police, and soldiers are focusing efforts on areas within the building where calls for help were received. More than 4,500 soldiers have been deployed across the quake zone for recovery operations. Seven people are also missing after a chimney collapse at a factory, and four others sustained serious injuries. Hospitals are treating dozens of patients, and around 260,000 people in the prefecture were instructed to go to evacuation centers. Authorities have warned residents to remain alert for further strong quakes and landslides, and with over 36,000 homes still without power amid soaring temperatures, the risk of heatstroke is also a concern.

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Even now, there are people waiting to be rescued, and this is a race against time. We will marshal all available resources on the ground to save and rescue as many people as possible.