▲ Strong earthquake in Kumamoto, Japan
Casualties continue to mount, including two confirmed deaths, following an explosion and structural collapse at a large shopping mall in Kumamoto Prefecture, western Kyushu, Japan, which is believed to have been triggered by a powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake.
According to NHK and Kyodo News on the 29th, eight people were rescued at around 4:00 AM today from the Aeon Mall located in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture.
Among them, two women in their 20s were found dead, and one person was transported to a hospital in a state of cardiac arrest.
The remaining five injured individuals are reportedly not in life-threatening condition.
At the shopping mall, an explosion sound was heard at 6:00 PM the previous day, followed by the collapse of part of the building's roof and walls. Raising concerns over large-scale casualties, overnight rescue operations were carried out.
However, active rescue efforts reportedly faced limitations due to darkness and the risk of further collapses.
Local media reported that after a magnitude 7.1 strong earthquake (according to the Japan Meteorological Agency) struck near Uki City, Kumamoto Prefecture, at 4:27 PM the previous day, some 200 visitors evacuated the shopping mall before the explosion occurred.
However, local media also reported that many staff members may have returned inside the store after guiding customers to evacuate.
A senior Japanese government official told the Yomiuri Shimbun that an explosion caused by a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) leak is considered a possibility.
At a Nippon Paper Industries plant in Yatsushiro, part of a smokestack collapsed, resulting in two people being rescued in cardiac arrest, while contact has been lost with nine employees.
Kumamoto Prefectural Police stated that 12 cases of collapsed houses have occurred within their jurisdiction, along with four reports of residents unable to leave their homes due to damaged entrances.
Additionally, following the strong earthquake, power outages occurred in over 48,000 households in Kumamoto Prefecture, and about 140,000 households experienced water outages.
Some hospitals are reportedly struggling to treat the injured due to the aftermath of the power failures.
In Kumamoto Prefecture, emergency safety assurance requests were issued targeting 92,743 residents across 46,610 households.
Jiji Press reported that 466 evacuation centers were opened across 36 local governments, where 4,744 people have taken shelter.
On the 29th, extreme heat is forecasted across Kumamoto Prefecture, with Yatsushiro expected to reach a high of 33°C (91°F), raising concerns that rescue and recovery operations may face difficulties.
Meanwhile, South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that no casualties involving South Korean nationals have been reported so far due to the Kumamoto earthquake, adding that it is closely monitoring the local situation and continuing to check for any potential harm to its citizens.
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