Tokyo (Monitoring Desk) — Rescue operations are continuing after a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, where the death toll has risen to 13, while rescue teams are searching for people trapped under the debris.
According to foreign news agencies, the Aeon Mall building near Kumamoto was severely affected by the earthquake. Nearly an hour after the earthquake, a reported explosion occurred in the building, causing a large part of the structure to collapse.
Rescue teams pulled eight people alive from the rubble; however, three of them later died. According to the mall administration, four workers out of nearly 2,700 employees are still missing, while all shoppers were safely evacuated immediately after the earthquake.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that many people are still waiting for assistance and that every moment is extremely important. She said all available resources are being used to save those affected.
Authorities said an investigation into a possible gas explosion at Aeon Mall is underway. Rescue workers reported smelling gas inside the building; however, the exact cause of the explosion has not yet been determined.
More than 4,500 military personnel, firefighters, police officers, and other rescue workers have been deployed in earthquake-affected areas. Japanese authorities said that seven people are missing after a chimney collapsed at a paper factory, while four people sustained serious injuries. Dozens of injured people are receiving treatment at various hospitals.
Following the earthquake, around 260,000 people were instructed to move to safer locations. Police received a large number of emergency calls, including reports of collapsed buildings and people trapped under debris.