Japan Quake Leaves Two Dead at Mall, Another in Home Collapse

Two people were killed inside a shopping mall in Japan following a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck the southwestern island of Kyushu, and at least a dozen more were reported injured or missing.

An explosion rocked the Aeon Co. mall in the Kumamoto Prefecture town of Kashima shortly after the Tuesday quake, according to a spokesperson. Customers and employees had been evacuated before the blast and the company was confirming their safety, the spokesperson said.

It was unclear how many people were still unaccounted for early Wednesday in Japan. 

Two people were confirmed dead at the mall, public broadcaster NHK said, and another suffered cardiac arrest. Five other people were injured at the shopping center, the news outlet said, adding that rescue operations were still underway. Earlier reports said that between 20 and 30 people were missing.

The Tuesday quake rattled Kumamoto Prefecture, an area that serves as a hub for the country’s semiconductor industry about 900 kilometers from central Tokyo. 

One person was killed in a collapsed home, Kyodo News reported and two other people were presumed dead at a Nippon Paper Industries Co. plant in Yatsushiro, NHK reported earlier, and nine people were missing.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told the media on Tuesday she had received initial reports of injuries, while NHK reported that at least 80 people had been hurt. 

The initial quake just before 4:30 p.m. Japan time was followed by a series of aftershocks in the same region. 

The quake’s maximum seismic intensity was estimated at 7 on the Japanese scale of 7. It hit at a shallow depth of 10 km, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Shaking of that intensity makes it impossible to stand, according to JMA. 

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. said it evacuated staff at its Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing facility. It later confirmed the safety of its buildings, and employees were beginning to return, Kyodo reported.

Sony Semiconductor Solutions said employees at its Kikuyo plant had been evacuated safely although it continued to inspect for damage. Tokyo Electron Ltd. said no major damage had been found so far but it would suspend operations on Wednesday at its Koshi and Ozu facilities to conduct safety inspections.

More than 40,000 households in Kumamoto Prefecture were without power in the hours after the quake and aftershocks, Kyushu Electric Power Co. said. NTT Docomo Inc. experienced disruptions to mobile services. Seven & i Holdings Co. said several of its stores in Kumamoto Prefecture were closed, and others were also left without power. 

Rail operator JR Kyushu suspended some of its Shinkansen bullet train services, while Kumamoto airport’s runway was closed for safety checks. Japan Airlines Co. said flights to and from the airport scheduled after 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday were expected to operate normally, while ANA also planned to resume normal operations Wednesday. 

No irregularities were reported at nuclear power facilities, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said.

Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, sitting on the so-called Ring of Fire, a seismically active belt that fringes the Pacific basin. This year has seen a series of quakes affecting a broad swath of the country. An earthquake a decade ago in Kumamoto killed hundreds of people.

With assistance from Mayumi Negishi, Sakura Murakami, Yasufumi Saito and Stella Mackler.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.