A powerful earthquake in southwestern Japan triggered an explosion at a shopping mall in Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday, leaving several people trapped and raising fears of multiple casualties, according to local authorities and media reports.
Emergency services launched rescue operations after an explosion was reported at an Aeon Mall outlet in the Kumamoto region. Police said they received reports of what appeared to be an explosion, while firefighters confirmed that part of the building had collapsed.
According to Japan's public broadcaster NHK, citing fire officials, part of the second floor of the shopping complex collapsed following the explosion.
The local fire department said several people remained trapped inside the building.
"Kashima town, a shopping complex's second floor collapsed, leaving many people trapped inside," the fire department said in a statement, according to AFP.
The retailer operating the mall said customers had been evacuated, but confirmed that several people remained trapped. Authorities fear there may be fatalities, although the exact number of casualties has not yet been confirmed.
The explosion came after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan's southern island of Kyushu. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles), with its epicentre located in Kumamoto, around 900 kilometres southwest of Tokyo.
The JMA also issued a caution for a minor tsunami following the quake.The main tremor was followed by two aftershocks. The earthquake disrupted transportation, telecommunications and air travel across parts of the region.
According to local reports, Kumamoto Airport temporarily closed its runway, with no immediate timeline announced for reopening, some 7-Eleven stores reported power outages and mobile network operator NTT Docomo reported communication disruptions affecting customers in the area.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said there were no reports of irregularities at Japan's nuclear power facilities following the earthquake.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi acknowledged that people had been injured and said authorities were assessing reports of collapsed buildings, fires and damage to infrastructure caused by the quake.
Rescue teams continue to search for those trapped inside the shopping mall, while officials investigate the cause of the explosion and assess whether it was directly triggered by the earthquake or resulted from secondary damage.
Sources: Hindustan Times
