What we covered here
• Death toll rises: At least 14 people died after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said “every second counts” as thousands of military personnel mobilized to reach those who are trapped.
• Mall collapse: CNN was outside a shopping mall where several people died and three remain missing after the building partially collapsed due to a likely gas explosion.
• Struck before: Bridges have buckled, and a historic castle was once again damaged in a region still reeling from a larger 2016 quake.
• View our interactive maps tracking the earthquake’s impact here.
Our live coverage has ended
See how CNN tracked the impact of the earthquakes here.
At least 14 killed as PM mobilizes troops after deadly earthquake. Catch up here
Emergency workers are locked in a “race against time” to reach people trapped following a deadly earthquake in southern Japan, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi mobilizing thousands of military personnel to join the rescue efforts.
At least 14 people have lost their lives in the disaster, CNN affiliate TV Asahi reported, including five who were killed when a shopping mall partially collapsed.
Here are the latest updates:
- Workers killed: At least three workers at Japan’s Aeon Mall Kumamoto, a shopping center that partially collapsed after yesterday’s earthquake, were killed in the disaster, the complex’s operator said today. In total, five people have been confirmed dead in the mall, while a further three remain missing. Five people at a paper factory have also died, public broadcaster NHK reported.
- Potential gas leak: Rescue workers reported the smell of gas at the mall after an explosion led to its partial collapse, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary said. Authorities believe the explosion may have been caused by a gas leak, TV Asahi reported.
- 2,700 staff: Roughly 2,700 staff worked at the mall, which had around 200 shops, services and restaurants, including well-known international retailers like H&M and Uniqlo, and a cinema complex, according to its website.
- “Deafening” explosion: The deadly explosion was so “terrifyingly loud” that it made local resident Yuko Yonemitsu’s ears hurt. “It was like a huge explosion right next to my ear. I couldn’t even tell if it was an earthquake or something else,” said Yonemitsu, who lives across the street.
- Temples destroyed: Temples in Japan’s Kumamoto prefecture, including a worship hall at the important Yatsushiro Shrine, are now lying in ruins following the earthquake. “With damage on this scale, it will probably be assessed as completely destroyed,” a surveyor, Michishu Nakatsu, told Reuters.
- Thousands mobilized: Thousands of military personnel have been mobilized amid an effort to “expedite” rescue and relief efforts, the country’s public broadcaster NHK reported Wednesday morning local time. The military personnel are due to work in coordination with local police and fire departments.
Earthquake reduces temples in Kumamoto to ruins
Video footage shows temples in Japan’s Kumamoto prefecture, including a worship hall at the important Yatsushiro Shrine, lying in ruins after a deadly earthquake shook the region.
“With damage on this scale, it will probably be assessed as completely destroyed,” a surveyor, Michishu Nakatsu, told Reuters as he stood outside one damaged temple.
“Many temples are wooden structures, so they are vulnerable to shaking and can suffer extensive damage. In particular, most of the entrance gates and bell towers — the structures from which large temple bells are suspended — have collapsed,” he added.
Teacher near Japan mall collapse describes disaster as "chilling"
A Japanese teacher who was holding a class for primary school children just 300 meters away from the Aeon shopping mall before it collapsed has described the incident as “chilling.”
The teacher, who gave his last name as Kamiyo, 28, was giving a lesson at a nearby tutoring center when a deadly 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture.
Fearing another, stronger tremor, Kamiyo instructed his young students to remain seated. After three to five minutes, he ordered the children to evacuate outside.
“About 20 minutes after the earthquake, it seemed there was an explosion at the Aeon Mall behind us,” Kamiyo told Reuters. “The children seemed to see it as something unusual and out of the ordinary. Maybe because of adrenaline, they were giggling and chatting excitedly.”
He continued, “But it’s actually chilling to think that if classes had ended early and the children had gone over there sooner, they might have got caught up in it.”
Why does Japan experience so many large earthquakes?
Almost no other country in the world is rocked by such frequent and damaging earthquakes as Japan – an island nation that sits on the boundary of four tectonic plates, the constantly-shifting slabs of the Earth’s crust.
It also lies on the “Ring of Fire,” a 25,000-mile arc that stretches around the Pacific, where the world’s most active volcanoes are located – and the most earthquakes take place.
But Japan is well prepared for disasters like these, having invested billions of dollars into cutting-edge quake detection technology, response and evacuation systems, and quake-proof infrastructure.
Japan began introducing stronger building codes in the 1980s – which demonstrated their effectiveness in the 1995 Kobe earthquake, which killed more than 6,000 people. Nearly all of the collapsed buildings were built before the new codes came into force, kickstarting a major drive to improve quake resilience, emergency response systems, and retrofitting older buildings to new standards.
As one of the world’s wealthiest nations, Japan was in a strong position to embrace technology and spending to fortify itself against the threat of tectonic catastrophes.
But technology can only go so far.
Read more on Japan’s history of earthquakes and its level of preparedness here.
Quake leaves 3 workers at shopping mall, 5 at paper factory dead
The effects from Tuesday’s powerful earthquake in Kumamoto, Japan, have left at least three workers dead at a partially collapsed shopping mall, the complex’s operator said, and five people at a paper factory have also died, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Another shopping mall worker is in a critical condition, three are missing, and four others have been hospitalized due to their injuries, Akio Yoshida, the president of Aeon Malls, said in a press conference.
The earthquake struck at 4:27 p.m. local time when around 3,000 people were on site, Yoshida said, adding that it was during the mall’s summer vacation peak season.
All customers had been evacuated to the parking lot by 5 p.m. local time, and the explosion occurred 50 minutes later, he said.
Echoing other officials, Yoshida said a gas leak likely caused the explosion but that has not yet been confirmed by the fire department.
At the Nippon paper factory, which sustained extensive damage during the earthquake, five people were killed and four others are still missing, NHK reported. Two others have been rescued.
Police bodycams show how powerful blast damaged mall
Scenes captured by police bodycams inside a Japanese mall show the power of the blast that shook the complex after a suspected gas explosion in the aftermath of an earthquake Tuesday.
Fragments of walls and the ceiling were strewn across the floor as officers navigated through dangling electricity cables, the clip showed.
Shops looked empty and were left unrecognizable of what they once sold.
Explosion at Aeon Mall was deafening, resident tells CNN
The deadly explosion at the Aeon mall was so “terrifyingly loud” that it made local resident Yuko Yonemitsu’s ears hurt.
“It was like a huge explosion right next to my ear. I couldn’t even tell if it was an earthquake or something else,” said Yonemitsu, who lives across the street.
“The sound was so terrifyingly loud, it felt like something had dropped right into our own backyard,” she told CNN.
Yonemitsu, 70, said her friends’ homes were “completely trashed” after the earthquake.
She’s now grappling with the fear that more aftershocks are to come. “I keep feeling like another big one might be on the way.”
Partially collapsed mall had 2,700 workers in nearly 200 shops and services
Four people are now believed to be missing or trapped at the Aeon Kumamoto mall, the shopping center operator said on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
Roughly 2,700 staff worked at the mall, which partially collapsed from an explosion that occurred about an hour after the quake hit on Tuesday afternoon. Customers had been evacuated from the complex after the quake hit and before the blast.
The mall has around 200 shops, services and restaurants, including well-known international retailers like H&M and Uniqlo, and a cinema complex, listed on according to its website. It had a parking deck for 5,000 vehicles, Reuters reported.
The mall was heavily damaged in a quake that struck the region in April 2016.
During the rebuilding process in 2017, the mall highlighted its seismically reinforced ceilings, Reuters reported.
It reopened from that quake in 2018, but just last month the company touted a “re-start initiative” for a “major renewal” of the complex, Reuters reported, citing an Aeon press release.
Aeon Malls operates 163 centers in Japan, according to the company website. Many of those in smaller communities around the country serve as focal points for one-stop shopping and entertainment from wide areas.
The company has also been expanding internationally, with 40 malls outside Japan.
Earthquake brings back terrifying memories for residents
The deadly earthquake that struck Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday has left residents asking one simple question: Why does this keep happening?
Shoji Yonemitsu, 69, told CNN the earthquake brought back memories of another terrifying event that struck the region a decade ago. In 2016, a series of devastating earthquakes killed 275 people, making it one of the country’s deadliest recent disasters.
“Why? Why does this keep happening around us here in Kumamoto?” he said,
He said Tuesday’s quake was “definitely intense,” but said it wasn’t as scary as the 2016 earthquake.
“The shaking back then was on a whole different level. But yesterday’s quake was still pretty terrifying,” he said.
Gas smell reported at mall after explosion, official says
Rescue workers reported the smell of gas at the Aeon Mall in Kumamoto after a deadly explosion partially collapsed the building, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary said.
Authorities are looking into the cause of the explosion that killed at least three people and left many others trapped in the damaged building. It happened shortly after a large earthquake struck the southern Japanese region on Tuesday.
“During the search operation yesterday by firefighters and police, a smell of gas inside the building was reported,” Minoru Kihara said at a press conference. “The detailed cause is currently under investigation,” he added.
Several others remain unaccounted for at the Nippon Paper Yatsushiro Mill, where a chimney collapsed.
“Police and firefighters are currently carrying out rescue and lifesaving operations at the site,” Kihara added.
Dashcam captures moment of mall explosion
The explosion of a shopping mall during the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Kumamoto, Japan, was captured by a vehicle dashcam.
A side of Aeon Mall Kumamoto appeared to have exploded, sending a large cloud of smoke to a road and to the sky.
Authorities have cited a possible gas leak as a cause and said the mall’s second floor had collapsed, trapping many.
Rescue and relief operations ongoing as death toll rises. Here's the latest
Search and rescue operations are continuing Wednesday morning after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake the day before left at least 13 dead and many more trapped or unaccounted for.
Here’s what we know so far:
- What happened: The quake struck Kumamoto prefecture on Japan’s southwestern island of Kyushu at 4:27 p.m. local time on Tuesday, with a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). It was followed by six aftershocks in the area, according to the US Geological Survey. No tsunami warning or threat was issued.
- The toll: At least 13 people have been confirmed dead, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Wednesday morning. That total includes deaths where the connection to the earthquake and the various aftershocks are still being investigated. The total number of people missing and injured is not yet clear. “People are still waiting for help, and every second counts,” Takaichi said.
- Damaged infrastructure: The Aeon Mall in Kumamoto partially collapsed, killing a number of people, according to CNN affiliate TV Asahi – though it did not confirm the number of deaths or who the victims were. Public broadcaster NHK previously said 20 to 30 employees at the mall could not be contacted after the collapse. Separately, nine people are still missing at the Nippon paper factory in Yatsushiro City after it sustained significant damage from the quake, NHK reported. A highway bridge has also buckled.
- Disruptions: Rail services have been greatly disrupted, and all flights at the Kumamoto airport were canceled on Tuesday. More than 46,000 households in the area lost power. At least 178 facilities across Kumamoto city have been closed as of Wednesday morning, including libraries, community centers, public parks and sports facilities – with some being turned into temporary evacuation shelters.
- Emergency response: About 3,600 military personnel have been mobilized for rescue and relief efforts, and they will work with local police and fire departments, NHK reported. The government will hold more meetings Wednesday to review information and “accelerate our response efforts,” Takaichi said.
Power outages putting hospital patients at risk, staff say
Hospitals hit by power outages following the earthquake are scrambling to relocate patients and keep them cool under intense summer heat, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.
“It’s become like a hospital in the war zone,” said one manager at Kumamoto Minami Hospital, which is looking for other facilities to take their patients.
“We’re searching for receiving hospitals, but we have no idea if we’ll actually be able to find any,” the person said.
Sakurajyuji Kumamoto Uki Hospital, which treats many elderly patients, has struggled to keep the air-conditioning units running. The temperature there is expected to surge to 91 degrees Fahrenheit (32.7 Celsius) on Wednesday.
Several patients have developed what were believed to be symptoms of heatstroke, NHK reported.
At least 13 people dead following earthquake, Japan's leader says
At least 13 people have been confirmed dead following the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the southern Japanese prefecture of Kumamoto, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK.
The total includes deaths where the connection to the earthquake and the various aftershocks are still be investigated, she said.
“I offer my sincere condolences to the memory of the deceased and extend my heartfelt sympathies to their family,” Takaichi told reporters on Wednesday morning local time.
“People are still waiting for help, and every second counts,” she said.
Kindergarten partially collapses in Kumamoto following earthquake
A kindergarten teacher has described how she shielded two students with her body as an earthquake shook her classroom in Kumamoto in southern Japan.
Video shared by the teacher showed a school wall at Tokiwa Kindergarten had been torn down by the violent tremors, trapping power lines beneath.
The teacher told CNN that both students were safe, and the school had carried out many earthquake drills in the past that helped everyone to keep calm.
"The ground felt alive": Office workers flee as Japan earthquake sets off sprinklers
An office was left in disarray by the powerful 6.8.-magnitude earthquake that struck southern Japan, with video showing desks overturned and items strewn across the floor as employees evacuate.
The office suffered “considerable damage,” as PCs toppled over and desks “swayed and collapsed violently,” Tsunetaka Hioki, the founder of the recruitment company think garbage, said in a post on social media.
Video posted by the business owner showed people escaping as sprinklers rained down on computers, flooding the room.
“We hid under desks like during an air raid, but the ground felt alive, pushing up from below,” he added.
Two people killed in shopping mall collapse, Japanese public broadcaster NHK says
Two women in their 20s have died after a shopping mall in Japan partially collapsed in an explosion following Tuesday’s earthquake, according to the country’s public broadcaster NHK.
Six other people have so far been rescued from the site, including one who had suffered from a “cardiopulmonary arrest” and five who were hurt but do not have life-threatening injuries, NHK reported.
Earlier, CNN affiliate TV Asahi cited police sources as saying that several people had been killed in the mall collapse after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck the city of Kumamoto, in southern Japan.
TV Asahi did not confirm at the time the number of deaths nor whether those killed were employees or customers.
NHK previously said 20 to 30 employees at Aeon Mall Kumamoto could not be contacted after the collapse.
This post has been updated with more details on the death toll.
3,600 military personnel mobilized to "expedite" rescue efforts in Japan
Thousands of military personnel have been mobilized in Japan amid an effort to “expedite” rescue and relief efforts, the country’s public broadcaster NHK reported Wednesday morning local time.
In response to a request from authorities in Kumamoto prefecture, where the 6.8-magnitude struck on Tuesday, NHK said defense forces had “mobilized approximately 3,600 personnel.”
The military personnel, who will work in coordination with local police and fire departments, will assess damage in order to “accelerate rescue and relief efforts,” NHK reported.
The public broadcaster also said plans were being made to hold an emergency response meeting to “identify the immediate needs of the affected areas.”
Two people found in "state of cardiopulmonary arrest" at paper factory, officials say
Nine people remain missing at the Nippon paper factory in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto prefecture, after the site suffered extensive damage in Tuesday’s earthquake, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported citing local authorities.
The factory sustained significant damage as a result of the 6.8-magnitude quake, with one of its chimneys snapping off, footage and images show.
Local officials said in an overnight briefing that two people were found in a “state of cardiopulmonary arrest” at the factory, NHK said, without confirming whether the two were alive or not. “The whereabouts of nine others remain unknown,” the public broadcaster added.
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