Japan Quake Kills At Least 14 As PM Says ‘Every Second Counts’ In Rescue Effort

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

TOKYO (Worthy News) – Japan’s prime minister warned Wednesday that “every second counts” after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s southern Kumamoto Prefecture, killing more than a dozen people.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi spoke as thousands of military personnel were mobilized to reach people trapped beneath collapsed buildings and debris.

Authorities said Tuesday’s 6.8-magnitude earthquake killed at least 14 people.

Among the victims were workers at an Aeon Mall shopping center, where three employees were killed and three people remained missing after part of the building collapsed in what authorities believe was a gas explosion triggered by the quake.

RACE TO SAVE SURVIVORS

One woman who lived across the road described the blast as “terrifyingly loud.”

Prime Minister Takaichi said rescue teams were also searching for people “in need of help” at the Nippon Paper factory in Yatsushiro after the earthquake caused severe damage there.

It came as bridges buckled and a historic castle suffered fresh damage in a region still recovering from the devastating 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, which killed more than 270 people and caused widespread destruction.

Aeon Mall President Iwao Nagai said the cause of the explosion remained under investigation.

MALL EXPLOSION PROBED

He said about 3,000 shoppers and between 1,300 and 1,500 employees had been inside the shopping center when the 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck, but most customers were safely evacuated before the explosion occurred.

Rescue crews continued searching for three missing people trapped beneath the rubble while investigators examined whether the quake had triggered a gas leak that led to the blast.

Prime Minister Takaichi described the rescue effort as a “race against time,” saying every possible resource was being deployed to reach survivors.

Thousands of members of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces joined firefighters, police officers, and other emergency personnel in the search operation.

WITNESSES RECALL FEAR

Witnesses described scenes of panic as buildings shook violently across Kumamoto Prefecture.

A schoolteacher said it was “chilling” to realize that some of his students could have been caught in the mall explosion had their class ended earlier.

A restaurant owner said residents had “never experienced such a big quake” in 75 years, reflecting the shock felt across the affected region.

Japan sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where several tectonic plates meet, making it one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries despite its strict building standards and advanced disaster preparedness systems.

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