A powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Japan's southern Kumamoto prefecture, destroying buildings and damaging roads and bridges. About 48,000 homes lost power, Reuters reported.
Approximately 300,000 residents were advised to evacuate. Hundreds of military personnel have been deployed to the region, and search and rescue operations are ongoing.
The most serious incident occurred at the largest shopping center in the prefecture, where an explosion, likely due to a gas leak, followed the quake. According to NHK, between 20 and 30 employees are missing. The building partially collapsed, and rescue teams are on site.
Local media reported one death from a building collapse near the epicenter. Several people are missing after a chimney collapsed at a Nippon Paper Industries plant. Two hospitals reported more than 100 injured, some in critical condition.
Train services, including Shinkansen bullet trains, have been suspended, and Kumamoto Airport is closed, with flights canceled or diverted. Major companies including TSMC, Sony, and Fujifilm have evacuated employees. Some factories have temporarily halted operations.
About 100 aftershocks have been recorded since the main quake. A tsunami warning was later canceled, but authorities warned of the risk of further strong earthquakes and landslides in the coming week. No irregularities have been detected at nuclear plants, according to the regulator.
Previously, the Kursiv publication reported that the death toll from earthquakes in Venezuela the previous day exceeded 5,500 people.