Japan Earthquake: 7.1 Magnitude Tremor in Kumamoto Kills at Least 13, Injures Hundreds
TOKYO — July 28, 2026 — A powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday, July 28, killing at least 13 people and injuring hundreds more as rescue workers scrambled to find survivors trapped under collapsed buildings .
The earthquake, which hit at 4:27 p.m. local time (07:27 GMT) on Kyushu island, registered a maximum 7 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale — the highest level — and triggered a tsunami warning for waves up to one metre . The warning was lifted approximately one hour later .
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‘Race Against Time’ for Rescue Teams
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said rescue workers continued searching for missing people on Wednesday morning. “There are people who are still waiting to be rescued, and it’s a race against time,” Takaichi said. “We will go all out to find and rescue as many people as we can” .
Takaichi confirmed 13 people had been found dead and expressed condolences to the victims’ families . She directed government ministries to prioritize protecting lives, coordinate with local authorities, and ensure timely information .
The Japanese government deployed 3,600 military personnel for disaster relief operations, along with 20 aircraft to assess damage from the air .
Collapsed Shopping Mall and Factory
The most severe damage occurred at the Aeon Mall in Kashima town, where the second floor collapsed, triggering an explosion likely caused by a gas leak . Two women in their 20s were confirmed dead at the mall, with four people rescued and about 10 others still missing .
At the Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro city, a giant chimney collapsed, trapping workers under debris . Two workers were found in cardiac arrest, with at least nine others still missing .
More than 350 people were treated at local hospitals, many of which were affected by power and water outages . Over 50 injuries were reported, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK .
Widespread Infrastructure Damage
The earthquake caused extensive damage across Kumamoto prefecture:
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- Nearly 50,000 households lost power
- Approximately 140,000 people were left without water
- A train derailed at Yatsushiro station
- Stone walls at Kumamoto Castle, a major tourist site already being repaired from the 2016 earthquake, sustained damage
- Roads and bridges were damaged, and fires broke out in several areas
Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority reported no abnormalities at three nearby nuclear power plants, including the Sendai and Genkai facilities .
More than 60 aftershocks have been recorded, including a magnitude 6.1 tremor . Over 15 aftershocks were recorded within the first 24 hours alone .
This is the first time seismic intensity 7 has been recorded in Japan since the Noto Peninsula earthquake in January 2024 . Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, sitting along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and experiencing about 20% of global magnitude 6.0 or greater earthquakes . The Kumamoto region was devastated by a deadly earthquake in 2016 that killed 275 people .
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