At least 13 people were killed and hundreds injured after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu on Tuesday afternoon. The quake, which registered a maximum intensity of 7 on Japan’s shindo scale, caused widespread damage, power and water outages, and triggered concerns over further seismic activity in the region.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi emphasized the urgency of rescue operations, saying authorities were racing against time to locate survivors. “We will go all out to find and rescue as many people as we can,” she stated. By early Wednesday, more than 9,000 people had been relocated to evacuation centers across Kumamoto and other affected areas, according to government officials.
The Japan Meteorological Agency cautioned that residents in the hardest-hit zones could face additional strong aftershocks and landslides for up to a week due to the quake’s shallow depth. Over 60 aftershocks, ranging from magnitude 1 to 4, were recorded by the agency by Wednesday morning. A tsunami warning initially issued following the tremor was lifted within two hours.
The rural town of Hikawa, near the epicenter, experienced significant destruction. Volunteer firefighter Tomohide Nagata described a rescue operation where a man trapped under rubble was saved despite serious head injuries. Many buildings, including older wooden houses, were destroyed or compromised, prompting residents to seek shelter in cars or at town facilities. Local temperatures nearing 35 degrees Celsius raised concerns about heat-related illnesses among evacuees, particularly elderly individuals such as 79-year-old Iwaoka Shigemi and his wife, who were sheltering by the town hall.
In the nearby city of Kashima, a gas explosion believed to have been triggered by the earthquake severely damaged the Kumamoto Aeon shopping mall. Employees who had evacuated the building were reportedly caught in the blast when some returned. The city of Uki, situated between Hikawa and Kashima, also faced extensive damage with residents recounting stories of narrow escapes and rescue efforts impeded by ongoing aftershocks. One woman recounted protecting her children from falling furniture before evacuating to a local elementary school repurposed as a shelter after the local disaster center’s ceiling collapsed.
Rescue teams in Uki struggled to free an elderly man trapped under debris in the Asakawa district, but aftershocks forced them to abandon the attempt. Neighbors mourned their inability to save a childhood friend. Many residents of Uki spent the night in their vehicles as government staff distributed food and water while operating a temporary response center in a parking lot.
The recent quake revived painful memories from April, when Kumamoto marked a decade since a 7.0 magnitude earthquake killed more than 275 people and caused widespread devastation. Unlike that event, which involved a foreshock followed by a major quake two days later, authorities remain alert for any similar developments in the coming days.
In Yatsushiro, south of Hikawa, a self-employed man in his 60s who was off work when his wooden workplace collapsed credited his day off with saving his life, though he expressed uncertainty about his future amid the destruction.
Rescue and recovery efforts continue as officials and residents contend with the immediate aftermath and heightened risk of additional quakes and landslides in the coming week.