LIVE COVERAGEUpdated 48 minutes ago
Live updates: Multiple people trapped in a mall after earthquake strikes Japan
“Quite a few” people are believed to have been killed after an explosion at the mall in the south of the country, according to local media citing police
A major earthquake rocks Japan, prompting tsunami warnings
00:36
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Updated July 28, 2026, 8:21 AM EDT
By NBC News
What we know
- “Quite a few” people are believed to have been killed after an explosion at a mall following today’s earthquake, local media reported, citing police.
- With a magnitude of 7.1 and depth of 10 kilometers, or just more than 6 miles, the quake registered at the highest end of the Japanese seismic intensity scale, according to the country’s meteorological agency.
- Aerial video footage showed a derailed cargo train, collapsed towers at an industrial plant and a small building on fire.
- Japan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” where several tectonic plates converge and tremors take place almost constantly, making it one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.
48m ago / 8:21 AM EDT
‘Quite a few’ believed dead after mall blast, police reported as saying
“Quite a few” people are believed to have been killed after an explosion at a mall following today’s earthquake, commercial broadcaster TBS cited local police as saying. A second broadcaster, Fuji TV, also said that multiple deaths had been confirmed at the mall
Firefighters at AEON Mall in Kashima Town, following an explosion today. Kazuki Wakasugi / The Yomiuri Shimbun
At least 10 people, including employees, were unaccounted for, state broadcaster NHK reported
2h ago / 7:38 AM EDT
Sendai nuclear plant not damaged, watchdog told
Japan’s nuclear authority informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that the Sendai nuclear power plant was not damaged in today’s earthquake
“The IAEA will continue to monitor the situation,” the U.N. watchdog said in a post on X
Since 2011, when a 9.1-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami triggered meltdowns at three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the country’s nuclear plants have come under acute focus during earthquakes
2h ago / 7:32 AM EDT
300 service members dispatched to disaster zone
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said 300 members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces would be sent to southern Japan to help with disaster relief
3h ago / 6:46 AM EDT
Multiple people trapped in mall after earthquake
Multiple people are trapped in a mall hours after a strong earthquake struck southern Japan, local fire officials say
The partially destroyed AEON Mall today. Kyodo
An explosion was also heard on the second floor of the AEON Mall, officials said, according to state broadcaster NHK, which carried footage of almost a dozen fire trucks in the facility’s parking lot
Images also showed the mall’s collapsed ceilings and facade, and a debris-littered road
3h ago / 6:31 AM EDT
Early images reveal disruption from 7.1-magnitude quake
Passengers crowd JR Hakata Station in Fukuoka southwestern Japan as bullet train services are suspended following the 7.1-magnitude earthquake this morning
Fallen shelves and office equipment in Kumamoto prefecture
Kyodo via AP
The exterior wall of a store collapsed in Kumamoto city
JIJI Press / AFP
3h ago / 6:21 AM EDT
Several buildings damaged in the quake, aerial footage shows
At least 12 buildings had collapsed, state broadcaster NHK reported, including four cases were people were still trapped
Most of the incidents were recorded in the city of Yatsushiro, a small city in in Kumamoto prefecture. NHK ran aerial footage of a large commercial facility and mall in Kumamoto prefecture with a collapsed ceiling and exposed internal structure
Pillars holding a shrine had also collapsed and a building had also caught on fire. At least seven fires were recorded in the prefecture, the broadcaster reported
3h ago / 6:21 AM EDT
Major earthquake rocks Japan
A major earthquake hit southern Japan today, derailing a train, injuring dozens and triggering a regional tsunami warning
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 and depth of 10 kilometers, or just more than 6 miles, was at the highest end of the seismic intensity scale
Japan’s Cabinet Office’s disaster management division said the earthquake struck around 4:27 p.m. local time (3:27 a.m. ET), with a tsunami advisory issued for the Ariake and Yatsushiro seas minutes later.The warning was later lifted, state broadcaster NHK reported
Read full story here
3h ago / 6:21 AM EDT
Why Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world
Japan experiences tremors — both minor and major — almost every day, making it one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. The East Asian country sits on the “Ring of Fire,” where several tectonic plates converge, triggering many of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
Firefighters at the scene of a burning house, in a still taken from a video of Uki, Kumamoto prefecture, following an earthquake today
Nearly 20% of global earthquakes measuring 6.0 or higher occur in Japan. Since 2011, when a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami triggered meltdowns at three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Japan has significantly strengthened its earthquake warning systems and evacuation protocols
