Japan Earthquake Kills at Least 13
The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck southern Japan has risen to at least thirteen, with about fifty people taken to hospital. The magnitude-7.1 quake, which hit Kumamoto prefecture on the island of Kyushu, brought down part of a shopping mall — where a gas explosion killed two young women — and a chimney at a paper plant, trapping workers. A tsunami advisory was lifted after about two hours.
Rescuers worked through the night to reach those trapped in the rubble, with several people still missing and around 45,000 households left without power. More than a dozen houses collapsed, though Japan’s stringent building codes limited the damage, and no abnormalities were reported at nuclear plants. The new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, said the government would “work tirelessly through the night” on the emergency response. Kyushu sits on the seismically active edge of the Pacific, where powerful quakes are a constant threat. Watch for the confirmed toll as rescue efforts continue.