Tokyo/Kumamoto, Jul 29: Rescue teams continued an intensive search operation across southern Japan on Wednesday after a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Kumamoto region, killing at least 13 people, injuring dozens, and causing widespread destruction. Thousands of homes were left without electricity, roads were severely damaged, and hundreds of emergency personnel were deployed as authorities warned of possible aftershocks and landslides.

One of the worst-hit locations was an Aeon shopping mall near Kumamoto City, where a section of the building partially collapsed following an apparent explosion about an hour after the earthquake. Eight people were rescued alive from the debris, while two women in their 20s lost their lives. Officials said 20 to 30 mall employees remained unaccounted for on Tuesday, prompting a massive search operation.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said rescue efforts were a race against time. "Even now, there are people waiting to be rescued, and this is a race against time. We will marshal all available resources on the ground to save and rescue as many people as possible," she told reporters in Tokyo.

Authorities are investigating whether a gas leak triggered the explosion at the mall. Rescue workers reported smelling gas inside the building, although officials said the exact cause remains under investigation. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said emergency teams were concentrating on areas where trapped victims had been heard calling for help. More than 170 military personnel, along with firefighters and police, were deployed at the mall, while over 4,500 soldiers were mobilised across the quake-affected region.

Elsewhere, seven workers were reported missing after a chimney collapsed at a Nippon Paper Industries factory. Four others sustained serious injuries. Hospitals across Kumamoto Prefecture treated dozens of injured residents, while authorities ordered around 260,000 people to move to evacuation centres. Police said they received 386 emergency calls, including reports of collapsed buildings and people trapped under debris.

The earthquake's epicentre was located approximately 20 kilometres south of Kumamoto City, the largest city in central Kyushu with a population of about 700,000. Officials have warned residents to remain alert for strong aftershocks over the coming week and cautioned about possible landslides in areas destabilised by the quake.

The disaster also severely disrupted essential services. More than 36,000 households remained without electricity as temperatures climbed to around 34°C (93°F), increasing the risk of heat-related illnesses. A hospital in Uki City, near the epicentre, said the power outage had rendered it largely inoperable. "It's become like a field hospital," a hospital administrator told public broadcaster NHK. Another hospital suspended new admissions after treating 86 injured people, including three in critical condition.

Transportation was also heavily affected. Several passengers aboard Japan's high-speed trains suffered injuries, prompting operators to suspend all bullet train services immediately after the quake. Major highways were damaged by large cracks, causing severe traffic disruptions throughout the region.

The collapse of the Aeon shopping mall became the defining image of the disaster. Television footage showed one side of the sprawling complex, which houses nearly 200 stores, ripped open, exposing twisted steel beams and scattering debris across the parking area. A spokesperson for Aeon said customers and staff were evacuated immediately after the initial tremor, adding that the cause of the subsequent explosion had yet to be determined.

The earthquake also disrupted industrial operations. Major manufacturers, including Sony, Tokyo Electron, and Honda, suspended production at local plants through Wednesday. Meanwhile, TSMC temporarily evacuated employees from its nearby facility before gradually resuming operations later on Tuesday.

Japan, located along the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, experiences around 20% of the world's earthquakes measuring magnitude 6.0 or higher. The latest disaster has revived memories of the devastating 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, which claimed 275 lives, injured more than 2,700 people, and damaged thousands of buildings, including the historic Kumamoto Castle. Several cultural landmarks, shrines, and a 17th-century tea house also sustained damage in Tuesday's powerful earthquake, underscoring the region's continued vulnerability to major seismic events.