A Japan earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday, July 28, causing serious damage and prompting rescue operations at a shopping centre, according to the initial coverage and local reports it cited.
The quake hit shortly before 4:30 p.m. local time on Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost main island. Images from the aftermath reportedly showed fires, collapsed bridges and train cars knocked onto their sides.
What happened at Aeon Mall?
The Aeon Mall shopping centre in Kumamoto was among the locations most heavily affected. The initial report said part of the building’s second floor was levelled and multiple people were trapped inside.
Emergency crews were carrying out rescue operations at the mall. The report also described an apparent explosion at the shopping centre, although it did not provide further details about the cause or confirm whether the blast occurred before or after the structural damage.
No verified casualty figures were included in the early reporting. Several thousand homes were said to be without electricity as authorities assessed the wider damage. The full extent of the destruction was not immediately clear, which is fairly standard in the first hours after a major earthquake, when information tends to arrive in fragments rather than convenient totals.
Was a tsunami warning issued?
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned that waves slightly higher than three feet could reach areas near the Ariake Sea and Yatsushiro Sea. Residents were also cautioned about the possibility of further earthquakes of a similar magnitude.
The tsunami warning was lifted at approximately 6:10 p.m. local time, less than two hours after the initial tremor.
Authorities continued monitoring the affected region for aftershocks while rescue teams worked at damaged sites. Early footage and reports indicated significant disruption across parts of Kumamoto, but officials had not yet released a complete assessment of injuries, structural damage or the number of people rescued from the mall.
