2 dead, dozens injured after magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Kumamoto, Japan
At least two people have been killed and dozens more injured after a powerful earthquake struck Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture, with widespread damage reported and an explosion later occurring at a shopping mall, according to officials.
The magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck at 4:27 p.m. local time on Tuesday at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter was 5.2 kilometers (3.2 miles) west of Uto and 14.1 kilometers (8.8 miles) north-northwest of the city of Kumamoto.
Nearly 2 million people may have experienced strong to violent shaking, according to the USGS.
Across the region, homes collapsed and bridges partially gave way. The earthquake also caused new damage at Kumamoto Castle, one of Japan’s best-known historic landmarks, which was severely damaged in the 2016 earthquakes.
At Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima, an explosion occurred after approximately 200 customers and employees evacuated the building, according to NHK. Two women in their 20s died, while another person was in cardiac arrest.
Police initially received reports that between 20 and 30 people were trapped, although authorities later said the number appeared to be lower. Rescue crews were initially unable to enter because no safe route into the building had been found.
The cause of the explosion has not been determined. A senior government official said there had been a report of a gas leak, but it was unclear whether it caused the blast.
A separate rescue operation was underway at the Nippon Paper Industries Yatsushiro Plant, where a chimney collapsed. Two people were found in cardiopulmonary arrest and nine others are missing, according to NHK, citing Kumamoto Prefecture.
Hospitals across the prefecture were treating large numbers of patients. Saiseikai Kumamoto Hospital had received 84 injured people, including at least one who was unconscious.
About 80 people were being treated at Yatsushiro Northern Regional Medical Center. Uki General Hospital received 40 patients, including 10 with serious injuries, before temporarily suspending new emergency admissions. Kumamoto Red Cross Hospital treated another 57 people.
At least 43 medical facilities reported damage or disruptions, including power outages, water shortages and problems with medical gas systems.
Kumamoto was struck by a destructive earthquake sequence in April 2016, including a magnitude 7.0 mainshock that killed dozens of people, injured thousands and caused widespread damage across the prefecture.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
