Japan quake kills at least 13 as thousands seek shelter

KUMAMOTO

This aerial image shows a damaged chimney of the Nippon Paper Industries Co.’s Yatsushiro factory, following an earthquake in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, July 29, 2026. (Naoki Hiraoka/Kyodo News via AP)

At least 13 people were killed and more than 9,000 sought shelter after a powerful earthquake struck southwestern Japan, severely damaging a shopping mall and a paper factory, officials said on July 29.

The quake hit Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu at 4:27 p.m. the previous day. The Japan Meteorological Agency measured it at magnitude 7.1 and said it reached Shindo 7, the highest level on the country’s seismic intensity scale. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a magnitude of 6.8.

“There are people who are still waiting to be rescued, and it’s a race against time,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said, pledging full-scale rescue efforts.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said seven people were seriously injured and 29 suffered minor injuries. As of 7 a.m., 9,186 people were staying at 506 evacuation centers across five prefectures, including Kumamoto and Fukuoka.

Rescue operations focused on Aeon Mall Kumamoto in the town of Kashima and a Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro.

Two women died at the mall, where authorities were investigating a suspected gas explosion. Eight people were rescued, five of them injured. Initial reports suggested that 20 to 30 people might be trapped, but police later said the number was lower. The exact figure remained unclear as rescuers searched for a safe route into the building.

At the paper factory, nine people remained unaccounted for after a smokestack partially collapsed.

Across Kumamoto, 36,880 households and facilities were without power on Wednesday morning. Roads and bridges were damaged, a freight train overturned and part of a wall at Kumamoto Castle collapsed.

High-speed shinkansen services remained suspended in the region, while Kumamoto airport reopened Tuesday evening after a temporary closure.

Japan deployed 3,600 Self-Defense Forces personnel and 20 aircraft for rescue and damage-assessment operations.

The weather agency warned that the worst-hit areas could experience further tremors reaching Shindo 7 over the next week, with the greatest risk during the first two or three days.