A magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck the Kumamoto area of Kyushu, southwestern Japan, has killed at least 18 people, with soldiers and rescue workers searching collapsed houses and a badly damaged shopping mall for survivors. The disaster has left at least 62 people injured, six seriously, and rescuers are working in sweltering heat amid fears the death toll will continue to rise as it remains unclear how many people are still missing.

The Aeon Mall in Kashima was among the worst-hit sites: roughly 3,000 shoppers were evacuated before a gas explosion collapsed part of the second floor, killing four people and leaving three missing. A chimney collapse at a Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushino killed five more, with four still believed trapped, while a Vietnamese technical intern died after a crane fell on him at another factory, becoming the first confirmed foreign fatality. Around 34,900 homes remain without power and 15,000 without running water, and more than 8,800 people have taken shelter in over 400 evacuation centres, with Japan's Self-Defense Forces and hundreds of emergency personnel involved in the response.