Japan Earthquake: 7.1 Magnitude Tremor Jolts Kyushu; Mall And Factory Collapse Leave Dozens Injured

Tokyo: A 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday, leaving dozens of people injured or missing after part of a shopping center and a huge chimney at a paper factory collapsed, officials said. A tsunami advisory was issued but quickly lifted.

There were fears that at least two people were dead.

In Kashima Town, the quake collapsed the second floor of the Aeon Mall shopping center, trapping an unknown number of people there, according to the fire department in the prefectural capital of Kumamoto. Japan’s NHK national television said the collapse came after an explosion, believed to have been triggered by a gas leak at the building.

Four people were pulled out with injuries and taken to a hospital, while 10 others were unaccounted for, the Kumamoto prefectural emergency response team said. It said the extent of the damage was still being investigated as the search and rescue effort continued.

At the Nippon Paper Industries Co.’s Yatsushiro factory, where a chimney collapsed and the building was damaged, 11 people were trapped underneath the debris, the Kumamoto emergency team said. Two of them were later found without vital signs, while the conditions of nine others were unknown, the team said.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said more than 260,000 people were advised to evacuate, most of them in Kumamoto prefecture, but also in the neighboring Nagasaki prefecture.

The affected area is about 900 kilometers (540 miles) southwest of Tokyo, the country’s capital.

A tsunami advisory for the Ariake and Yatsushiro Seas on the western coasts of Kumamoto prefecture and three neighboring prefectures was lifted within two hours, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told journalists that there were reports of damage to roads, bridges and buildings, as well as blackouts and fires, though details were unclear.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said major public facilities or infrastructure were not damaged. Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities were found at three nearby nuclear power plants. Kumamoto police have received more than 100 emergency calls following the quake, NHK said.

Kyodo News said a hospital in the city of Yatsushiro took in about 40 people with injuries and about 50 others were taken to a hospital in Kumamoto city.

The quake also affected a number of major manufacturers in Kyushu.

Toyota Motor Corp. said it has suspended operations at three of its factories in Kyushu in part because of safety issues, and that they will reopen on Wednesday. Toyota said there were no reports of injuries to people or damage at the plants, though the company was still assessing the situation.

Honda Motor Co. and Nippon Paper also suspended operations, and Yamato Transport Co. has also stopped delivery services in and out of Kumamoto, the Nikkei business daily said.

Shinkansen bullet trains and local trains in Kyushu were suspended for safety checks, and the runway at Aso Kumamoto Airport was closed, with “no prospect of resuming operations” anytime soon, according to a notice on the airport’s website. There were no details.

The Japanese Defense Ministry said it dispatched military aircraft to the area to assess the situation.

A train derailed and fell on its side at Yatsushiro station, and stone walls were damaged at Kumamoto Castle, a main tourist destination that was badly damaged in the 2016 quake and is still being repaired, Kyodo said.

“The shaking reminded me of the Kumamoto quake (10 years ago) and I was frightened,” said Hiroki Shimoda, an official at Mifune town hall, who saw roof tiles of nearby homes crash to the ground. Kumamoto was hit with a deadly quake in 2016 that killed at least 50 people.

Shinji Kiyomoto with the Japan Meteorological Agency urged residents to be cautious over the next two to three days.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ deputy spokesman extended sympathy to those in danger and the people of Japan.

“Our hearts go out to the people affected by this earthquake,” said Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman. “The national authorities are leading the response, but we stand ready to support if needed.”