LIVE COVERAGEUpdated 35 minutes ago
Live updates: Multiple people trapped in a mall after earthquake strikes southern Japan
The quake, which had a preliminary magnitude of 7.1, was at the highest end of Japan’s seismic intensity scale
A major earthquake rocks Japan, prompting tsunami warnings
00:36
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Updated July 28, 2026, 6:46 AM EDT
By NBC News
What we know
- Multiple people are trapped in a collapsed mall after a strong earthquake struck southern Japan, according to fire officials.
- With a magnitude of 7.1 and depth of 10 kilometers, or just over 6 miles, the quake registered at the highest end of the Japanese seismic intensity scale, according to the country’s meteorological agency.
- The temblor 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.
- There were at least 12 cases of collapsed houses, state broadcaster NHK said, as at least 50 people were injured.
- 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.
35m 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
49m ago / 6:31 AM EDT
Early images reveal disruption from 7.1 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
59m 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 7 fires were recorded in the Kumamoto prefecture, the broadcaster reported
59m ago / 6:21 AM EDT
Major earthquake rocks Japan
A major earthquake hit southern Japan on Tuesday, 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 over 6 miles, was at the highest end of the seismic intensity scale
Japan’s Cabinet Office’s Disaster Management Division said the earthquake struck at 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
59m 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
