Three dead, over 100 injured as earthquake collapses mall in Japan

A powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake rocked Japan's Kyushu island, leaving a trail of destruction and a rising death toll. The most devastating incident occurred in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, where a shopping mall collapsed, trapping dozens of workers. Emergency services found two bodies in the rubble, bringing the total confirmed fatalities to three, with over 100 people injured. Authorities reported that around thirty workers were unaccounted for in the collapsed mall.

Local media, citing NHK, indicated that three individuals were in cardiopulmonary arrest following the disaster – one at the mall and two at a factory in Yatsushiro where a chimney also collapsed. The quake, which struck at 4:27 PM local time, registered the maximum level 7 on Japan's Shindo seismic intensity scale. A tsunami alert was issued but later lifted.

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The shaking was quite strong and lasted a long time. I was terrified.

Images broadcast by local media depicted scenes of chaos: partially destroyed bridges, collapsed buildings, and overturned cargo train cars. Chiharu Hara, a 35-year-old recruiter, described the terrifying experience, saying the shaking was strong and lasted a long time. "I was terrified," she told AFP, recounting how the building she was in swayed violently, causing panic.

Rescue teams are working through the night to find survivors and evacuate those affected. Power outages impacted approximately 45,000 homes and facilities in Kumamoto Prefecture. The disaster highlights the vulnerability of infrastructure to seismic activity, even in a country well-prepared for earthquakes.

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People are arriving with burns and fractures from being trapped under the rubble, and ambulances keep bringing in the injured.