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Thirteen dead after powerful earthquake strikes Japanese island of Kyushu
Rescuers are searching for missing people in southern Japan after a powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake killed at least 13 people on Kyushu.
Rescuers in southern Japan are engaged in a race against time to locate survivors after a powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the island of Kyushu on Tuesday, leaving at least 13 people confirmed dead.
According to reporting by Japanese public broadcaster NHK, the death toll has reached 13 as emergency workers begin to assess the widespread destruction across the region.
Among the casualties are two women who were at a shopping centre in Kumamoto. An explosion caused significant damage to the complex about an hour after the building had been evacuated in the wake of the tremor. The precise cause of the explosion has not yet been confirmed by local officials.
In the city of Yatsushiro, a major rescue operation is underway at a local factory. Multiple people remain missing at the facility after a chimney collapsed during the earthquake. Emergency teams are working through the debris in an effort to locate the unaccounted workers.
With communications and infrastructure impacted across Kyushu, the total number of injured people and the full scale of the property damage remain unclear. Authorities are continuing to monitor the stability of damaged structures as rescue efforts proceed under challenging conditions.
Observers will be watching closely for updates from Japanese emergency services as search teams continue their efforts to locate the missing factory workers.
This report draws on original reporting by Wire report.
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