[Anchor]

Following the magnitude 7.1 strong earthquake that struck southern Kumamoto yesterday afternoon (July 28), it has been confirmed that 13 people have died. Rescue operations are continuing for a second day in the affected areas, and residents spent a sleepless night.

Reporter Kim Minpyo has the details.

[Reporter]

Fire trucks and ambulances are dispatched urgently to a large shopping mall in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture.

About an hour and a half after yesterday's earthquake, an explosion sound was heard and parts of the shopping mall's roof and walls collapsed. Rescue operations for people trapped inside the building are underway for a second day.

Local media reported that as of 5:00 a.m. today, 2 people had died and 1 was in cardiac arrest.

It was also reported that out of 11 people isolated at a paper mill in nearby Yatsushiro, 2 were found in a state of cardiac arrest.

Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi held an emergency press conference and stated that 13 deaths have been confirmed so far.

She also expressed condolences to the victims and said that rescue operations have become a race against time.

Prime Minister Takaichi added that not only casualties, but also damages such as building collapses, fires, and road destruction continue to increase.

[Sanae Takaichi / Japanese Prime Minister : Large-scale damages, including human casualties, building collapses, road damage, and fires, have been confirmed so far.]

Residents in the earthquake-hit areas spent a sleepless night gripped by extreme anxiety.

The magnitude 7.1 strong earthquake that occurred in the Kumamoto region at 4:27 p.m. yesterday caused extensive damage because its hypocenter was shallow at a depth of 10 km.

This is recorded as the first strong earthquake in Kumamoto in 10 years, following the two seismic intensity 7 earthquakes observed in April 2016 which resulted in over 270 deaths.

Japanese experts analyzed that the cause of this earthquake was the reactivation of the Hinagu fault zone, which had triggered the strong earthquake back then.

[Video Editing: Chae Cheol-ho]