In a matter of seconds, dozens of people were trapped inside a shopping center in southwest Japan when the second floor of the building collapsed after a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook the island of Kyushu on Tuesday. TBS television network reported a "considerable" number of fatalities inside. While rescue teams tried to make their way through the rubble, outside, fires, power outages, and cracked roads multiplied, in a new day that reminded the Japanese that living with earthquakes is part of their daily life.
Public broadcaster NHK showed smoke coming out of the shopping complex shortly after the earthquake. Witnesses claimed to have heard an explosion before the second floor of the building collapsed. The Japanese Fire and Disaster Management Agency later confirmed that "numerous people" were trapped inside. Several had to be rescued by emergency services, while at least fifty injured individuals were taken to hospitals in the region, as reported by the public broadcaster.
The earthquake occurred at 4:27 p.m. local time. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) recorded the maximum level of seven on the Japanese seismic scale Shindo, a system that does not measure the energy released by the earthquake but rather the intensity of the tremors felt by people and the potential destructiveness on buildings and infrastructure. The United States Geological Survey estimated the magnitude at 6.8.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that the government was still assessing the extent of the catastrophe. "There are power outages and fires in some areas, and roads and bridges have been damaged, in addition to some buildings collapsing," she declared. Kyushu Electric Power reported that around 45,000 households and establishments were left without electricity in the Kumamoto region.
Images broadcasted by NHK showed urban fires, bridges with structural damage, a derailed freight train, and numerous cracks on the asphalt. The collapse of at least a dozen houses was also confirmed.
Authorities initially issued a tsunami risk alert with waves up to one meter high. However, after confirming that the earthquake occurred inland and no significant alterations in sea level were detected, the Meteorological Agency lifted the warning shortly before six in the evening.
It was also reported that no anomalies were detected at the nuclear power plants in the area. Kyushu Electric company confirmed that the three reactors that were operational continued to function normally, a particularly relevant message in a country where any major earthquake inevitably rekindles memories of the Fukushima nuclear accident.
One of the NHK journalists reporting live from the area, still wearing a protective helmet, described a situation of immense tension even half an hour after the earthquake. "The tremor was so strong that I couldn't stand. Even now, the building is still shaking, and it's hard to stay stable," he recounted as the aftershocks continued to be felt.
The affected region is well aware of the devastating impact of major earthquakes. In 2016, Kumamoto experienced two violent earthquakes of magnitudes 6.5 and 7.3 just two days apart, leaving 273 dead and over 2,800 injured, in addition to thousands of destroyed buildings. That tragedy remains vivid in the local population's collective memory, explaining why today thousands of people evacuated homes, offices, and businesses as soon as the first tremors began.
Japan is among the countries with the highest seismic activity on the planet. Located on the convergence of four major tectonic plates in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, it accounts for approximately 18% of earthquakes recorded worldwide. Hundreds of seismic events occur each year, mostly of low intensity thanks to strict anti-seismic construction regulations and a population accustomed to participating in evacuation drills since childhood.
However, major earthquakes remain a constant threat. The most traumatic memory is still the devastating 9.0 magnitude undersea earthquake that struck the country's northeast in March 2011. The subsequent tsunami devastated entire communities, causing the death or disappearance of around 18,500 people and triggering the Fukushima nuclear accident, the worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl.