Rescuers Search for Missing After Powerful Quake Rocks Southwestern Japan

Soldiers and emergency workers are desperately searching for survivors in southwestern Japan, combing through heavily damaged shopping malls and collapsed houses. A powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu, killing at least 13 people and leaving many others missing.

The quake, which hit a day earlier, has caused significant disruption. Bullet train services and some airport operations remain suspended as damage assessments continue. Chief government spokesman Minoru Kihara reported that approximately 36,900 homes are still without electricity and 9,500 homes lack gas. Communication networks are also down in some areas.

More than 9,000 people have evacuated their homes and are staying in over 500 shelters. The situation is compounded by an ongoing heatwave, with temperatures forecast to exceed 32 degrees Celsius (90 Fahrenheit). Efforts are underway to add power sources to evacuation centers to provide air conditioning.

Rescue operations are particularly focused on areas like the Aeon Mall in Kashima town, where the second floor collapsed, trapping people, possibly due to a gas leak explosion. A chimney collapse at the Nippon Paper Industries Co.'s Yatsushiro factory also trapped individuals. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi emphasized the urgency, stating, "There are people who are still waiting to be rescued, and it's a race against time. We will go all out to find and rescue as many people as we can."

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There are people who are still waiting to be rescued, and it's a race against time. We will go all out to find and rescue as many people as we can.