Japan earthquake death toll rises to 13

Rescuers in southern Japan continued searching for survivors on Wednesday after a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake killed at least 13 people, injured dozens and caused widespread damage across Kumamoto Prefecture.

The earthquake struck on Tuesday, damaging buildings, rupturing roads, disrupting electricity and water supplies, and triggering an explosion at a shopping mall near Kumamoto City.

Eight people were rescued from the rubble of the partially collapsed mall, where an explosion occurred more than an hour after the earthquake. Three of those rescued were confirmed dead, while three workers remained unaccounted for after authorities accounted for about 2,700 employees.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said emergency personnel were working urgently to locate and rescue people trapped beneath collapsed structures.

“Even now, people are waiting to be rescued, and this is a race against time,” Takaichi said, adding that the government would deploy all available resources to support rescue operations.

Authorities said five people died after a chimney collapsed at a Nippon Paper Industries factory, while two others were injured. The overall death toll stood at 13, with several people seriously injured and dozens receiving treatment in hospitals.

Investigators are examining whether a gas leak caused the explosion at the shopping mall after rescue workers reported smelling gas inside the damaged building.

More than 4,500 military personnel have been deployed across the affected areas, while emergency responders, police and fire crews continue search-and-rescue operations.

About 260,000 people were advised to move to evacuation centres, while police received hundreds of emergency calls about collapsed buildings and rescue requests.

The earthquake’s epicentre was about 20 kilometres south of Kumamoto City, the largest city in central Kyushu. More than 100 aftershocks were recorded by Wednesday, prompting authorities to warn residents to remain alert for further strong tremors and possible landslides.

In Yatsushiro, one of the worst-hit areas, several buildings collapsed, homes suffered extensive roof damage, and roads were cracked and buckled. Part of a bridge also collapsed into the Kumagawa River.

More than 36,000 homes remained without electricity, while other communities experienced water shortages. Authorities warned residents about the risk of heat-related illnesses as temperatures rose to about 34°C.

Hospitals near the epicentre were overstretched, with some facilities affected by power outages and forced to suspend new admissions after receiving large numbers of injured people.

Several high-speed train passengers were injured, while rail services were suspended immediately after the earthquake.

Major manufacturers, including Sony, Honda, Renesas Electronics and Tokyo Electron, temporarily halted operations at facilities in the affected region. Toyota also suspended production at three factories outside Kumamoto because of disruptions affecting suppliers.

Japan lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a highly active seismic zone, and experiences frequent earthquakes. Kumamoto was struck by a devastating earthquake a decade ago that killed hundreds of people and damaged thousands of buildings.