Rescuers search for survivors in Japan after earthquake kills 13 people
Emergency workers are continuing their search for survivors in southern Japan after yesterday’s powerful earthquake left widespread devastation, with buildings collapsed, roads severely damaged and emergency teams digging through rubble.
At least 13 people have been killed and many reported missing after the earthquake struck the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu with a magnitude of 7.1, according to the Japan meteorological agency. The US Geological Survey measured it at magnitude 6.8.
The Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, said rescue workers faced a “race against time” to reach more people still trapped in rubble. “We will go all out to find and rescue as many people as we can,” she said.
Eight people were pulled from the rubble of a partially collapsed Aeon shopping centre near the city of Kumamoto following an apparent explosion that occurred around an hour after the earthquake, according to reports. Aeon said four workers at the shopping centre remained unaccounted for.
“I thought a bomb had gone off,” Takateru Sonoda, 41, who runs a hair salon and cafe near the shopping centre, told the Japanese Jiji Press news agency.
“There were people calling on others to evacuate and sirens were ringing out. Nearby roads were gridlocked, it was a state of panic.”
Seven people are also still missing at the Nippon Paper Industries factory where a chimney collapsed on to the site. Japan’s Mainichi newspaper reported that four people were rescued from the rubble at the paper mill, including two who were seriously injured.
Nearly 37,000 homes were still without electricity, 9,500 homes were without gas and communication networks were not working in some areas, chief government spokesperson Minoru Kihara told reporters. More than 9,000 people left their homes to stay in more than 500 shelters, Kihara added.
Read our overnight report here:
Key events
Joe Pinner
A 23-year-old woman who worked at the Aeon shopping centre, where three people were killed and three remain missing, has told the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper about the scenes on the ground when the earthquake struck.
She said the shaking was so strong that it was impossible to stand, knocking over mannequins and clothing racks. She was able to evacuate the building with three others, and escaped the subsequent explosion.
“Even when I evacuated outside the building, I saw other employees guiding people to safety,” she said. “I also saw some people going back inside, perhaps to check for safety, so I’m worried that they might have been affected [by the explosion].”
An aerial view of a collapsed section of a bridge in the city of Yatsushiro after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture:
Joe Pinner
Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun newspaper has been speaking to people at the Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro, where a chimney collapsed on to the site.
“I never imagined something like this would happen,” said a 33-year-old man who worked at the factory. “I never thought that the chimney could collapse. I’m worried about the people inside.”
He was off duty and at home when the earthquake struck, and was unharmed. The names of those rescued and those trapped have not yet been released. “Someone I know might be affected,” he said.
According to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, as of 2pm local time today seven people had been rescued. Of those rescued, five have died and two were injured. The whereabouts of four people remain unknown.
Here is a video showing local media reports of the devastation left behind in Japan after yesterday’s earthquake, as the search for survivors continues:
The Japanese ministry of defence has shared drone footage showing the devastation inside the Aeon shopping centre.
The second floor of the shopping centre collapsed, with three people believed to be still trapped, according to authorities.
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Three people still missing in Aeon shopping centre – official
Japan’s Mainichi newspaper has reported some remarks from Akio Yoshida, the president of retail company Aeon which operated a shopping centre that partially collapsed after yesterday’s earthquake and a subsequent explosion.
Yoshida told a press briefing that three workers at the shopping centre in Kumamuto are still missing. He confirmed three people were killed, all of whom were employees.
“I offer my deepest condolences to those who have passed away, and I offer my sincerest apologies to their families. We will respond with utmost sincerity as a company,” he said.
According to Yoshida, the explosion occurred at about 5.50pm, approximately one hour and 20 minutes after the earthquake. He said 3,000 people were inside the shopping centre when the earthquake hit.
Addressing concerns over a possible gas leak (see post at 09:28), Yoshida told reporters the shopping centre has been using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) since its opening in 2005, and that no problems such as gas leaks have been reported in the past.
Weather officials in Japan have warned of another hot day across wide areas of the country, including in the southern Kumamoto prefecture on the island of Kyushu where the earthquake hit.
Temperatures are forecast to reach 35C in Kumamoto, according to the Japan meteorological agency, with highs of 38C in Miyazaki on Kyushu island.
Officials have advised people in the disaster-affected areas to take breaks while working outdoors on rescue operations and other recovery work.
As we wait for updates on the explosion at Aeon shopping centre in Kumamoto, earlier the chief government spokesperson Minoru Kihara said a gas smell was detected inside the building during yesterday’s search by firefighters and police, local media have reported.
Kihara stressed that the cause of the explosion, which happened about an hour after the earthquake struck, is still under investigation.
Toyoto and Honda said they will suspend operations in their factories in Kumamoto in southern Japan until Friday.
“The situation, including aftershocks and recovery efforts, is changing daily,” Toyota said in a statement. “We will continue to prioritise safety above all else.”
Honda Motor said the suspension would allow repairs to quake-damaged parts of the factory.
Some images from Japan as search efforts continue after yesterday’s earthquake:
Rescuers search for survivors in Japan after earthquake kills 13 people
Emergency workers are continuing their search for survivors in southern Japan after yesterday’s powerful earthquake left widespread devastation, with buildings collapsed, roads severely damaged and emergency teams digging through rubble.
At least 13 people have been killed and many reported missing after the earthquake struck the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu with a magnitude of 7.1, according to the Japan meteorological agency. The US Geological Survey measured it at magnitude 6.8.
The Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, said rescue workers faced a “race against time” to reach more people still trapped in rubble. “We will go all out to find and rescue as many people as we can,” she said.
Eight people were pulled from the rubble of a partially collapsed Aeon shopping centre near the city of Kumamoto following an apparent explosion that occurred around an hour after the earthquake, according to reports. Aeon said four workers at the shopping centre remained unaccounted for.
“I thought a bomb had gone off,” Takateru Sonoda, 41, who runs a hair salon and cafe near the shopping centre, told the Japanese Jiji Press news agency.
“There were people calling on others to evacuate and sirens were ringing out. Nearby roads were gridlocked, it was a state of panic.”
Seven people are also still missing at the Nippon Paper Industries factory where a chimney collapsed on to the site. Japan’s Mainichi newspaper reported that four people were rescued from the rubble at the paper mill, including two who were seriously injured.
Nearly 37,000 homes were still without electricity, 9,500 homes were without gas and communication networks were not working in some areas, chief government spokesperson Minoru Kihara told reporters. More than 9,000 people left their homes to stay in more than 500 shelters, Kihara added.
Read our overnight report here:
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