Japan Earthquake Death Toll Hits 13 as Rescuers Race To Reach Survivors Trapped in Collapsed AEON Mall

Rescuers are racing against time to reach people feared trapped beneath a collapsed shopping centre after a powerful earthquake killed at least 13 people in southern Japan.

Emergency crews, police officers and Japan's Self-Defense Forces searched through the shattered remains of an AEON Mall in Kashima on Wednesday, one day after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture. An apparent explosion tore through part of the building about an hour after the initial shaking.

Eight people have been recovered from the mall's rubble, including two women in their 20s who died. Public broadcaster NHK initially reported that between 20 and 30 mall workers were unaccounted for, although authorities had not confirmed how many remained trapped by Wednesday.

Suspected Gas Explosion Tore Through AEON Mall

The earthquake damaged the mall before a suspected gas leak triggered an explosion, causing its second floor and one side of the building to collapse.

Footage showed steel beams exposed and debris scattered across the car park of the shopping centre, which contains around 200 stores and is the largest mall in Kumamoto prefecture. Customers and employees had reportedly been evacuated after the earthquake, but some staff later returned to their shops.

One employee told Japanese television that workers noticed the smell of gas shortly before the explosion. Government spokesman Minoru Kihara said rescuers had also detected gas inside the building, but stressed that the cause remained under investigation.

Rescue teams concentrated on sections where calls for help had reportedly been heard. Around 170 military personnel joined the search at the mall, while more than 4,500 soldiers were deployed across the wider disaster zone.

Workers Also Trapped at Paper Factory

The AEON Mall was not the only site where people were feared buried.

A large chimney collapsed at a Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro, trapping workers under the wreckage. Officials said seven people were still feared trapped on Wednesday after two survivors and two bodies were recovered.

Hospitals across the region were placed under severe pressure. One facility near the epicentre said a power cut had left it unable to function properly, while another stopped accepting patients after treating 86 injured people.

Thousands Left Without Power During Heatwave

More than 36,000 homes remained without electricity as temperatures approached 34C, creating an additional risk of heatstroke for survivors and displaced residents.

Around 260,000 people were instructed to evacuate, while more than 9,000 moved into hundreds of emergency shelters. Authorities were working to provide generators and air conditioning as Japan endured an ongoing heatwave.

The earthquake also ruptured roads, damaged bridges and suspended bullet train services. Operations were halted at factories run by companies including Sony and Honda, while chipmaker TSMC evacuated employees before beginning safety-controlled restarts.

The epicentre was about 20 kilometres south of Kumamoto City. Authorities warned residents to prepare for further strong earthquakes and possible landslides during the coming week.

For families still waiting for news, every hour now matters. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the rescue operation a race against time, promising to use all available resources to find those still buried beneath the destruction.