Rescue efforts were underway Wednesday morning at Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima Town where people are feared trapped following Tuesday’s earthquake. Photo courtesy of Japan’s Fire and Disaster management Agency/X
The death toll from a strong earthquake that struck southwestern Japan climbed to 13 on Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said, as she warned that “time is of the essence” as efforts were underway rescue people who remained trapped under rubble.
The magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck at about 4:27 p.m. local time Tuesday in Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyushu, Japan’s southwestern island. A tsunami advisory was issued for the Ariake and Yatsushiro seas shortly after the earthquake but was lifted within two hours.
Images posted online by various emergency services showed widespread destruction. The Nippon Paper Yatsushiro Mill in Yatsushiro City and Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima Town were the site of two of the most serious rescue operations.
Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said it was working other agencies at Aeon Mall on Wednesday morning where people were feared to be trapped.
It said part of the second floor of the mall had collapsed.
At the paper mill, a chimney collapsed, it said. Nine people remained unaccounted for at the mill, according to Kumamoto Prefecture’s Disaster Management Headquarters, which said their safety and whereabouts were unknown.
Officials said two people had been rescued from the mill but were in cardiopulmonary arrest.
Emergency Safety Measurer were in effect for 92,743 people in two cities, while evacuation orders covered 222,250 people in three cities and three towns in Kumamoto, the agency said.
It was unclear how many people were injured as of Wednesday morning, though the disaster agency said before the death toll was updated that 29 people were injured, including six who were seriously injured and 22 who suffered minor injuries, including one in Kagoshima Prefecture.
Some 345 teams comprising 1,139 responders from eight prefectures were deployed to the affected areas, for a total of 1,410 personnel, including local agencies.
Takaichi said in a statement that damage was “extensive,” though assessments were still underway.
“There are still people awaiting rescue, and time is of the essence,” she said.
“We will mobilize every resource on the ground to aim to rescue and save as many lives as possible.”
Kyushu Electric Power said the earthquake had no impact on the Sendai or Genkai nuclear power plants.
【消防庁 令和８年熊本地震に対する消防機関の活動状況】 嘉島町のイオンモール熊本被災現場において、現在活動中です。 #緊急消防援助隊 #緊援隊 #熊本県 #福岡県大隊 pic.twitter.com/AXfgM89Nhh— 総務省消防庁 (@FDMA_JAPAN) July 29, 2026
