Japan: Hospitals struggle after deadly Kumamoto earthquake
07/29/2026 July 29, 2026 Rescuers scramble for survivors after Japan earthquake Rescuers are racing to find survivors after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck southern Japan
07/29/2026 July 29, 2026 Rescuers scramble for survivors after Japan earthquake Rescuers are racing to find survivors after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck southern Japan, killing at least 13 people and leaving widespread damage across the region. Eight people were pulled from the rubble of a partially collapsed shopping mall near the city of Kumamoto after an apparent explosion around an hour after Tuesday's quake.
However, three of those rescued later died. Mall operator Aeon said four employees remained unaccounted for after checks on around 2,700 staff members. Customers had been evacuated immediately after the initial 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," Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said from Tokyo.
Powerful earthquake hits southern Japan To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Authorities are investigating whether a gas explosion caused the collapse at the Aeon mall. While rescuers reported smelling gas inside the building, government spokesperson Minoru Kihara said the cause was still unclear. Firefighters, police and around 170 military personnel concentrated their efforts on sections of the mall where calls for help had been heard.
More than 4,500 soldiers have been deployed across the disaster zone as emergency crews search damaged buildings, restore power and assess ruptured roads.
The BriefWire