Strong 7.1 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Kumamoto, Japan, Sparking Explosions at Shopping Mall and Over 800 Reports in South Korea

[Anchor]

A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.1 struck the southern Kumamoto region of Japan this afternoon (July 28). As the number of injuries continues to rise, reports indicate that an explosion occurred at a large shopping mall, trapping citizens inside.

Here is correspondent Mun Junmo from Tokyo.

[Reporter]

Part of the Kumamoto Castle wall collapses, raising a cloud of dust.

A camera filming a river bridge shakes violently up and down, and a highway is displaced, causing vehicles to halt.

The sidewalk beside the bridge is fractured, and smoke billows from a burning house.

Collapsed wooden houses are also clearly visible.

At 4:27 p.m. today, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto region of Kyushu, Japan.

The depth of the hypocenter was 10 km, and a maximum seismic intensity of 7 was observed in Uki, Kumamoto.

Intensity 7 is the highest rating on the scale used by the Japan Meteorological Agency.

This is the first time an intensity of 7 has been observed in Japan since the Noto Peninsula earthquake in January 2024, and the first time in 10 years in Kumamoto since the Kumamoto earthquakes in April 2016, when intensity 7 was recorded twice.

The Japan Meteorological Agency temporarily issued tsunami advisories for some coastal areas, but they have now all been lifted.

No abnormalities have been reported yet at three nearby nuclear power plants.

TSMC, which operates a semiconductor plant in Kumamoto Prefecture, stated that it evacuated employees outdoors immediately after the earthquake and is checking for any damage to the facility.

Injuries are being tallied one after another, with at least 50 people injured and transported to hospitals.

Power outages occurred in about 50,000 households, and Japanese media reported that an explosion took place at a large shopping mall, leaving many people trapped on the second floor.

The Japanese government has set up a crisis management center at the Prime Minister's Official Residence and initiated emergency responses.

[Sanae Takaichi / Japanese Prime Minister: We are still confirming human and material damages. Please evacuate to a safe place and prioritize your safety.]

The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Fukuoka stated that there are no confirmed South Korean casualties so far.

In the wake of the earthquake, more than 800 reports of tremors were received in South Korea, including in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do.

[Kang Dong-guk / Ulsan Citizen: I came home after exercising and was sitting on the sofa when suddenly I felt a rolling sensation and the building started shaking.]

Chinese media reported that tremors were felt even in Shanghai, 889 km away.

(Camera reporting: Han Chel-min, Moon Hyun-jin | Video editing: Jung Yong-hwa | Design: Kang Yoon-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.