The Fire and Disaster Management Agency says many people could be trapped inside the Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima Town. An explosion occurred at the facility after the earthquake, and the building’s second floor collapsed.
Kumamoto Prefecture says 2 women in their 20s are dead and 1 person is in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest at a shopping mall.
Authorities say rescue operations are ongoing.
Footage taken from an NHK helicopter shows that parts of the shopping center’s exterior walls came off, exposing what appears to be the building’s framework.
A taxi driver near the mall reported hearing a loud bang and seeing the walls blown away. The driver said parts of a wall hit a nearby car.
2 people found in state of cardiopulmonary arrest at Kumamoto factory
Officials in Kumamoto Prefecture report that two people were found in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest at a factory in Yatsushiro City. They say that nine other individuals are unaccounted for.
The earthquake caused a smokestack to collapse and other damage at Nippon Paper Industries.
Kumamoto police, firefighters respond to calls
NHK asked police in municipalities in Kumamoto Prefecture that had tremors registering 7 or upper 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in Tuesday’s earthquake to sum up the damage as of 6:00 p.m. on the same day.
Police in Uki City, which registered a 7, said they received numerous reports linked to the earthquake.
They said they were responding to a report of a fire whose link to the quake was unknown.
Hikawa Town also registered a 7. Police with jurisdiction over the town said they received reports of injuries, collapsed homes and raised ground.
In Yatsushiro City, which had tremors of upper 6, a person was reportedly trapped in a collapsed home.
Firefighters in Hitoyoshi City said that as of 4:50 p.m. they were responding to a report from a local resident who could not get out of a house because the entrance was blocked. The city registered tremors of lower 5.
A hospital in Minami Ward in Kumamoto City says that over 50 people have been admitted with injuries. At least one of them is reportedly unconscious.
Fire in Uki City, Kumamoto Pref.
Footage taken from an NHK helicopter at around 5:30 p.m. shows flames and smoke emerging from what appears to be a residential building in Uki City in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Power outage in Kumamoto Prefecture
Kyushu Electric Power Company said on its website that about 48,000 households in Kumamoto Prefecture were without power as of 5:15 p.m.
TSMC factory evacuated, safety checks underway
The chip manufacturer TSMC says it has evacuated its employees to a safe place outside its factory in Kumamoto Prefecture, according to its emergency response procedures. It also says it is working to confirm the safety of its workers and of the facility.

source:https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20260728_30/