[Anchor]

A strong magnitude 7.1 earthquake 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.

Our Tokyo correspondent, Mun Junmo, has the report.

[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 misaligned, causing vehicles to stop.

The sidewalk next to the bridge is destroyed, and smoke rises from a house on fire.

Collapsed wooden houses are also clearly visible.

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

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

Intensity 7 is the highest rating on the Japan Meteorological Agency's seismic intensity scale.

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, which twice registered an intensity of 7.

The Japan Meteorological Agency briefly issued tsunami advisories for some coastal areas, but they have all now 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 reported one after another, with at least 50 people injured and transported to hospitals.

Japanese media reported that power outages occurred in about 50,000 households, and an explosion at a large shopping mall left numerous people trapped on the second floor.

The Japanese government 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 property damage. Please evacuate to a safe place and take precautions for your safety.]

The Consulate General of South Korea in Fukuoka stated that there have been no confirmed South Korean casualties so far.

Due to the aftermath of the earthquake, more than 800 reports of felt tremors were received in South Korea, including in Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang Province.

[Kang Dong-guk / Ulsan Citizen: I had just finished exercising and came home. As I was sitting on the sofa, I suddenly felt a sickening sway and the building shook.]

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

(Camera Footage: Han Chul-min and Moon Hyun-jin | Video Editing: Jung Yong-hwa | Design: Kang Yoon-jung)