Japan earthquake injures 50 and traps ‘many people’ inside shopping mall
The Guardian · 2026-07-28
A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Japan's Kumamoto prefecture on the southern Kyushu island late Tuesday afternoon, leaving at least one dead and injuring over 90 individuals, with 10 in serious condition. The tremor caused widespread power outages to 48,000 homes, damaged roads and buildings, and resulted in the collapse of a chimney at a Nippon Paper Industries factory. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed injuries, power cuts, fires, and structural damage, urging evacuations for the approximately 300,000 people instructed to seek shelter. An explosion at the Aeon shopping mall, the prefecture's largest, trapped "many people," and police reported "quite a few" presumed dead, with 20 to 30 workers unaccounted for. This event has also prompted the evacuation of workers from factories belonging to TSMC, Sony, and Fujifilm, with the Japan Meteorological Agency warning of active seismic activity and a week-long risk of further strong quakes and landslides.
*The full article also explores the region's history of seismic activity, including a devastating quake a decade ago, and the broader impact on local infrastructure and services.*