Japan: At least 13 killed in earthquake as rescuers race to find others trapped in rubble

A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Japan’s Kumamoto in southwestern Japan on the island of Kyushu on Tuesday, claiming the lives of at least 13 people as rescuers cornered in the collapse of a shopping mall.

Meanwhile rescuers are rummaging through the wreckage of a powerful earthquake in south-west Japan that killed 13 people. People are searching for the rubble of the Aeon Mall in Kashima town and the Nippon factory in Yatsushiro.

In this connection, Takaichi told reporters in Tokyo: “Even now there are people waiting to be rescued and this is a race against time. We will marshall all available resources on the ground to save and rescue as many people as possible.”

The tsunami warning was lifted after the quake, triggering extensive damage throughout the prefecture including historic landmarks such as Kumamoto Castle.

According to reports, seven people are also missing from a chimney collapsed at a Nippon Paper Industries factory in the city of Yatsushiro. 

Given the gravity of the current situation ongoing, thousands of soldiers have been deployed to assist rescue teams across the affected areas. Japan’s meteorological agency cautioned that there could be more quakes producing identical shaking strength of similar intensity in the coming time.

The statement from NHK reads: “For the next week or so, especially the next two to three days, we would like people to watch out for potential earthquakes with a maximum seismic intensity of 7.”

Notably, nuclear power plants in the areas appeared to be unharmed. Japan’s nuclear authority informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that the Sendai nuclear power plant was undamaged by the earthquake.

Nonetheless Japan’s nuclear plants come under significant focus during earthquakes after 2011- a 9.2-magnitude earthquake and succeeding tsunami led to meltdowns at three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.