Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu was hit on Tuesday by a powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake, which caused significant material damage, chaos in the transportation system and a wave of panic among the population.
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Local media reports speak of 20 to 30 people considered missing after part of the “Aeon” shopping center collapsed. Meanwhile, official Japanese sources report that more than 100 individuals have been injured. Up to this point, rescue teams have managed to pull four people alive from the rubble, as efforts to find other survivors continue uninterrupted.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced the creation of a special emergency task force and began deploying 3,600 military personnel to the affected area. “Our absolute priority is saving human lives,” she stressed, adding that preliminary information indicates collapsed buildings, damage to roads and bridges, power supply disruptions and several fires that broke out in various areas.
The transport sector also suffered severe consequences. Activity at Kumamoto Airport was completely suspended, a freight train derailed, and several highway sections and railway lines were closed to traffic. About 48,000 households were left in the dark due to faults in the electricity grid.
Initially, the Japan Meteorological Agency activated a tsunami warning, but later canceled it. However, it urged citizens to remain vigilant, as there is the possibility of further powerful tremors in the coming days.
As a precautionary measure, about 300,000 residents were advised to evacuate. Meanwhile, nuclear safety authorities confirmed that no anomalies have been detected at the region’s nuclear power plants.
