Japanese authorities have found two fatalities at a department store partially collapsed by a strong earthquake last Tuesday. Additionally, several patients suffered cardiac arrest at a damaged factory.
Foreign news agencies report that rescue efforts by Japanese authorities have continued throughout the night in Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyushu Island, Japan, which was struck by an earthquake at 16:27 local time on Tuesday, 28 July 2026, causing widespread damage.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency initially recorded the earthquake's magnitude at 7.1, while the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) later reported it as 6.8.
Rescue operations continue at Aeon Mall in Kashima city, Kumamoto Prefecture, where the second floor collapsed after the earthquake. NHK television reported that two women were found dead at the scene, along with one person experiencing simultaneous heart and lung failure.
Officials also discovered two patients in cardiac arrest and nine missing persons after a chimney collapsed at the Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro city, located in southern Kumamoto Prefecture.
Overall damage in Kumamoto Prefecture includes tens of thousands of residents facing power outages and water supply disruptions. At least 45 medical facilities were damaged, and the exterior wall of a 17th-century historic castle also collapsed.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has deployed 3,600 personnel to the affected areas for recovery efforts, stating that the teams will work "tirelessly through the night" to assess and monitor damage.
Shinji Kiyomoto from the Japan Meteorological Agency urged the public to "remain vigilant" for potential additional earthquakes, recalling the series of strong quakes in 2016 that caused 278 deaths over a few days.
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Source:bbc