A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture in southwestern Japan late on Tuesday, killing at least 13 people and leaving dozens more feared trapped beneath a collapsed Aeon shopping mall in Kumamoto city. Survivors described scenes of terror as buildings shook violently, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warning that rescue teams face a "race against time" to reach those still buried. The quake struck an area already familiar with seismic activity, but residents said it far exceeded the intensity of a deadly 2016 double earthquake that killed 277 people.

Around 4,600 emergency personnel have been deployed, working through the night to assess damage, while tens of thousands of homes have lost power and water and at least 45 medical facilities have been damaged. Notable landmarks including the historic Kumamoto Castle and the 19th-century Yatsushiro Shrine suffered significant structural collapse. Officials have urged residents to remain alert for aftershocks, recalling that the 2016 quakes struck in a deadly sequence days apart, and local accounts describe ongoing tremors, shortages of food and water, and residents preparing evacuation bags in case of further shocks.