Powerful 7.1 Earthquake Hits Southern Japan, Collapses Mall
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Japan's southern island of Kyushu on Tuesday, collapsing part of a shopping mall in Kumamoto Prefecture and trapping an unknown number of people. A tsunami advisory was issued and lifted within two hours.
Mall Collapse Leaves Dozens Missing or Injured in Kumamoto
The earthquake struck Tuesday afternoon in Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island, at a shallow depth of about 6 miles. It registered a rare shindo 7 on Japan's seismic intensity scale in the town of Hikawa and the city of Uki, the first reading of that severity since the Noto Peninsula earthquake in January 2024.
The second floor of an AEON Mall shopping center in Kashima Town collapsed, trapping an unknown number of people inside. Around 20 to 30 mall employees were reported missing, while several others were pulled from the rubble and taken to hospitals. A hospital in Yatsushiro city took in about 40 injured people, and roughly 50 more were treated in Kumamoto city.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami advisory for the Ariake and Yatsushiro Seas along the coasts of Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Fukuoka and Saga prefectures, warning of waves up to about 3 feet. The advisory was lifted roughly two hours later.
Bullet Trains Suspended, Nuclear Plants Checked as Region Assesses Damage
The quake derailed a train at Yatsushiro station and damaged stone walls at Kumamoto Castle. Shinkansen bullet trains and local rail service across Kyushu were suspended for safety inspections, and the runway at Aso Kumamoto Airport closed with no immediate timeline to reopen.
Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority reported no abnormalities at three nearby nuclear power plants. Several thousand homes lost power, and officials said they were still assessing reports of damage to roads, bridges and buildings, along with scattered fires. Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said no damage had been reported to major public facilities or infrastructure as of Tuesday evening.
Kumamoto has a painful history with major earthquakes. A 2016 quake in the same region killed more than 50 people and damaged tens of thousands of homes.
What's Next
Japanese officials warned that additional strong quakes are possible in the region over the coming days, given the shallow depth of Tuesday's earthquake. Search and rescue efforts continue at the collapsed section of the Kashima mall, and residents in coastal areas have been urged to stay alert for landslides and remain cautious near the shoreline even though the tsunami advisory has been lifted.
Weather changes fast, so help your community stay prepared. Share this story with friends, family, or your group chat, and keep your forecast in the now with Weather Forecast Now.