An Aeon Mall building is seen damaged after a magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan, on Tuesday. [Reuters]
An Aeon Mall building is seen damaged after a magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan, on Tuesday. [Reuters]

A magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan, on Tuesday afternoon, partially collapsing a large shopping mall and causing damage across the region.

The Aeon Mall in Kashimamachi, Kumamoto, partially collapsed with a loud explosion, bringing down sections of the roof and walls around 6 p.m., local media including NHK reported.

The second floor of the mall collapsed, trapping an unknown number of people inside, according to Japan's National Fire Agency disaster response headquarters. Whether any fatalities have occurred has not yet been confirmed. NHK reported that some of the injured were being transported to hospitals. The collapse is believed to have been caused by the earthquake.

The mall had been open at the time of the quake. Shoppers were evacuated immediately after the tremor struck, with more than 200 people taking shelter in an outdoor parking lot.

A restaurant worker near the mall told NHK that they heard a loud thud before a large cloud of dust rose from the direction of the shopping center.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, the government's spokesperson, told a news conference that authorities were "confirming the extent of the damage" from the mall collapse.

The seismic intensity recorded in Kashimamachi on Japan's shindo scale is estimated at lower-5 or above, with the precise figure still being determined. A lower-5 intensity is strong enough to cause most people to feel fear and to knock dishes off shelves and books off bookcases.

Local police told NHK they were "gathering information on the injured."

According to the Japanese government and NHK, at least 50 people had been taken to a regional medical center in Hikawamachi, Kumamoto Prefecture — where a shindo-7 intensity was recorded — as of 6 p.m. Tuesday. About 10 people from a nursing home in Hikawamachi were also reported injured after falling or tumbling from wheelchairs, and were transported for treatment.

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had received no reports of Korean nationals harmed in the Kumamoto earthquake. "We will continue to monitor the situation on the ground and track whether any Korean citizens have been affected," the ministry said.


ehkim@heraldcorp.com