Japan is assessing the impact of a powerful earthquake that struck the southern island of Kyushu, with reports of missing people, damaged infrastructure, and widespread disruption.
According to the BBC, nineteen people are reported missing at an Aeon shopping center and a paper factory after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Kyushu. The earthquake also caused power outages, damaged roads, collapsed a castle wall, and destroyed a pedestrian bridge.
Authorities are still gathering information, but initial reports indicate significant damage in Kumamoto Prefecture.
When and Where Did the Earthquake Strike?
The earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyushu Island at 16:27 local time on Tuesday (07:27 GMT), prompting hundreds of thousands of people to be advised to move to evacuation shelters.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) initially reported the earthquake at magnitude 7.1, while the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) later measured it at magnitude 6.8. Earthquake magnitude figures are often revised as seismologists analyze additional data.
Kumamoto, where the damaged Aeon shopping center is located, is one of the major cities on Kyushu Island.
Kyushu is the third-largest of Japan’s four main islands and the second most populated.
Kumamoto’s History With Earthquakes
Kumamoto Prefecture has experienced major earthquakes before. In 2016, powerful earthquakes in Kumamoto and neighboring Oita Prefecture killed 278 people, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK.
Emergency services, including police and firefighters, continue search and rescue operations as authorities work to determine the full extent of the damage.
