Japan Digs Through Rubble as Kyushu Quake Toll Hits 13
Soldiers and rescue crews search collapsed shopping mall and homes as aftershocks rattle survivors
By Ingrid "Shortwave" Frost
KUMAMOTO — The mall's upper floors had folded into the parking level, and somewhere under that mess of concrete and steel, people were still missing. Soldiers and emergency crews worked through Wednesday to reach them, a day after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake tore through the southern Japanese island of Kyushu.
At least 13 people are confirmed dead, according to the BBC and NPR, with hundreds more injured. Officials have described the search as a "race against time," the phrase used by both Japanese authorities and international press covering the disaster, as crews listen for signs of life beneath collapsed houses and the ruined shopping center.
Survivors described the terror of the quake's first jolt. "I thought I would die," one told the BBC, recounting the moment the ground gave way beneath ordinary errands and afternoon routines. Power and water remain cut to tens of thousands of households, according to the Guardian, and aftershocks continue to complicate rescue work.
The economic aftershocks have arrived fast, too. Toyota and Honda both announced they will halt operations at their Kumamoto factories until Friday. "The situation, including aftershocks and recovery efforts, is changing daily," Toyota said in a statement. "We will continue to prioritise safety above all else."
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been overseeing the response, according to Guardian live coverage, though full details of the government's relief operation were not yet available at time of writing. The death toll is expected to rise as crews clear more of the rubble; officials have not said when the search-and-rescue phase might end.
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— Compiled from reporting by the BBC, NPR News and the Guardian.
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