Powerful 7.1-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Southern Japan, Causing Widespread Damage

A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Japan's southern Kumamoto region on Tuesday, knocking out electricity to tens of thousands of homes, damaging roads and bridges, and triggering a deadly explosion at a shopping mall that left multiple people trapped.

Police said they fear several of those trapped inside the mall may have died, although the exact number of casualties has yet to be confirmed.

Speaking to reporters at his office in Tokyo, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said authorities were still assessing the full extent of the damage.

"We have already received reports of injuries. Power outages and fires have occurred in several areas, roads and bridges have been damaged, and a number of buildings have collapsed," the prime minister said, urging residents to move to safe locations and remain alert.

Earlier, Japan's disaster management agency ordered nearly 300,000 residents to evacuate to emergency shelters. The prime minister also announced the deployment of 3,600 military personnel to assist with rescue and relief operations.

Authorities reported that strong aftershocks continued to rattle the region following the initial quake.

Japan's public broadcaster NHK said more than 50 injured people had been admitted to a single hospital, while several passengers aboard a high-speed train were also hurt during the earthquake.

Japan's fire department said an explosion occurred at an Aeon shopping mall shortly after the earthquake, trapping several people inside the building.

Citing broadcaster TBS Television, police said they feared "multiple fatalities" in the incident.

An Aeon spokesperson said shoppers and employees had been evacuated immediately after the initial earthquake, but the cause of the subsequent explosion remains under investigation.

Eyewitness Kazuya Tsurunaga said he was cleaning up broken dishes at a bar about 300 meters from the shopping mall when he heard a massive explosion.

"The blast was extremely powerful," he said. "A huge plume of smoke rose into the sky and drifted toward our shop. It looked as though volcanic ash was falling everywhere."

Television footage aired by NHK showed several buildings engulfed in flames or partially collapsed. Large cracks were also visible on elevated expressways and major roads.

Rail services across the affected region were suspended, while air traffic was also disrupted.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, evacuated employees from its Kumamoto facility as a precaution. Japanese companies Sony and Fujifilm also evacuated workers from nearby factories, according to the Nikkei newspaper.

According to Reuters, the earthquake's epicenter was located about 20 kilometers south of Kumamoto, the largest city on Japan's Kyushu island, which has a population of roughly 700,000.

The Japan Meteorological Agency warned that strong aftershocks could continue for up to a week in the hardest-hit areas and cautioned residents about the risk of landslides.

Although a tsunami warning was issued immediately after the earthquake, it was later lifted.

Kyushu Electric Power said electricity was cut off to approximately 48,000 households.

JR Kyushu suspended all rail services, including its Shinkansen bullet trains, while Kumamoto Airport temporarily closed its runway, forcing flight cancellations and diversions.

Mobile operators KDDI and NTT Docomo reported network disruptions caused by power outages and damage to communications infrastructure.

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities or incidents had been reported at nuclear power facilities in the affected area.

The latest earthquake revived memories of the devastating 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, which killed 275 people, injured 2,739 others, and caused extensive damage to thousands of buildings, including the historic Kumamoto Castle.

Castle authorities said Tuesday's earthquake also caused sections of the landmark's stone walls to collapse.