Death Toll Rises To 13 After Powerful 7.1-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Japan

Published 29 July 2026 · world

Death Toll Rises To 13 After Powerful 7.1-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Japan Published By, Last Updated: July 29, 2026, 07:19 IST The quake caused widespread destruction

Death Toll Rises To 13 After Powerful 7.1-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Japan Published By, Last Updated: July 29, 2026, 07:19 IST The quake caused widespread destruction across Kumamoto, knocking out power to more than 36,000 homes, damaging roads and bridges, and triggering multiple fires. An aerial view shows the damaged Aeon Mall shopping centre after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Japan's southern Kumamoto prefecture. (Source: Reuters) The death toll from the powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan’s southwestern Kumamoto Prefecture has risen to 13, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Wednesday, as rescue teams continued frantic efforts to locate survivors trapped beneath collapsed structures. Takaichi said the revised toll includes deaths that are still being investigated to determine whether they were directly linked to the earthquake. “Even now, there are people waiting to be rescued, and this is a race against time. We will marshal all available resources on the ground to save and rescue as many people as possible," she told reporters in Tokyo. The quake, which struck at 4:27 pm local time on Tuesday, caused widespread destruction across Kumamoto, knocking out power to more than 36,000 homes, damaging roads and bridges, and triggering multiple fires.

Explosion In Shopping Mall One of the worst-hit sites was an Aeon shopping mall in Kashima town, where an apparent explosion, suspected to have been caused by a gas leak, ripped through the building after customers and employees had already evacuated. Also Read: Walls Rattle, Buildings Shake As Massive 7.1-Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Japan | Videos “The explosion occurred after the customers and staff had evacuated," said a spokesman for the mall’s operator Aeon, while speaking to AFP. Two women in their 20s were killed, while rescuers pulled eight people from the rubble. Authorities said the exact number of people still trapped inside remains unclear as rescue teams continue to search the damaged structure. Paper Factory Collapses Partially At a Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro, a partially collapsed smokestack left nine workers unaccounted for. Local authorities said search operations were continuing at the site. Across Kumamoto Prefecture, nearly 260,000 residents were advised to move to evacuation centres as officials warned of the risk of strong aftershocks and landslides over the coming week. Hospitals near the epicentre struggled to cope with the influx of injured people.

A hospital in Uki city reported operating like a field hospital after losing power, while another suspended new admissions after treating dozens of earthquake victims. Earthquake Disrupts Life In Kumamoto The Japanese military deployed around 3,600 personnel and 20 aircraft to support disaster relief and aerial damage assessment operations. The earthquake also disrupted transport across the region. High-speed Shinkansen services were suspended, Kumamoto Airport temporarily halted operations before reopening later on Tuesday, and several highways suffered major cracks, snarling traffic. Some major manufacturers, including Honda and Tokyo Electron, suspended operations at plants in the affected region, while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) temporarily evacuated workers from its local facility before gradually resuming operations. Also Read: Japan Earthquake: Several Killed In Kyushu Mall Collapse As Strong Tremors Wreak Havoc | Videos The quake’s epicentre was located around 20 kilometres south of Kumamoto City at a depth of about 10 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey. Japan, situated along the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire," experiences hundreds of earthquakes each year. Kumamoto itself was devastated by a series of powerful earthquakes in 2016 that killed more than 270 people and caused extensive damage across the prefecture.