Multiple deaths in explosion at shopping centre after 6.8 earthquake hits Japan

Multiple deaths in explosion at shopping centre after 6.8 earthquake hits Japan Around 300,000 people have been instructed to go to evacuation centres after strong tremors damaged highways and bridges - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments A devastating 6.8 magnitude earthquake has hit southern Japan, leaving at least 50 injured and several trapped and presumed dead inside a collapsed shopping mall. The earthquake struck the Kumamoto prefecture on the southern Kyushu island on Tuesday afternoon triggering an immediate tsunami warning, which was later lifted. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said: "We have already been informed that people have been injured. Power outages and fires have occurred in some areas, and there has also been damage to roads and bridges and the collapse of buildings. “I ask everyone to take action to protect themselves, including evacuating to a safe location." Around 300,000 people have been instructed to go to evacuation centres, and hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to help with rescue operations as aftershocks continued to rumble in the area, on Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu. Residents in the areas that felt the biggest tremors must be on alert for further strong quakes for about a week, as well as for the risk of landslides, an official for the Japan Meteorological Agency said. About 100 small aftershocks have hit Kumamoto already since the initial jolt, JMA said. In the aftermath of the quake, the largest shopping mall in the area was rocked by an explosion, as local media said around 20 to 30 workers were unaccounted for and multiple people were trapped inside. Local news outlets also quoted police saying several had died or were presumed to have perished in the incident. One side of the mall, which houses around 200 stores, was torn away, exposing steel beams and strewing debris across a vast parking lot, footage showed. Several ambulances and fire engines were parked outside, as rescue teams searched for survivors. A spokesperson for mall operator Aeon said customers and employees were evacuated right after the initial quake and that the exact cause of the ensuing explosion was unclear. Authorities are investigating a possible gas explosion, broadcaster NTV reported. Kazuya Tsurunaga told TBS he was stunned by the blast while cleaning up dishes broken by the earthquake inside a pub about 300 metres from the Aeon mall. "It was a huge impact," he said. "A large cloud of smoke billowed up, and because the wind happened to be blowing and the wind direction was towards the shop, the area around us was in a state like volcanic ash was falling." Multiple people were also unaccounted for after a chimney collapsed at a Nippon Paper Industries factory, broadcaster NHK reported, while two hospitals were each reported to be treating more than 50 people, some in serious condition. Several passengers aboard high-speed trains at the time of the quake were also injured, operators said. Authorities said they were responding to multiple incidents where buildings had partially collapsed or had caught fire. One person died in one such collapse in a town near the epicentre, TV Asahi reported. Some roads were also badly damaged, with large cracks splintering major highways, snarling traffic. Rail services were suspended and flights grounded. TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, Sony and Fujifilm evacuated workers from their plants following the quake. TSMC said in a statement late Tuesday that its site was unaffected and operations were gradually resuming. Located along the "Ring of Fire" of volcanoes and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin, Japan accounts for about 20 per cent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or more. With thousands of homes still without power as night fell, authorities warned residents about the risk of heatstroke as temperatures were set to hit 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments