The Kumamoto Prefecture in southern Japan suffered extensive destruction and several injuries and thousands of people were left without electricity Wednesday when a powerful earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture.
Where a powerful earthquake ripped through Kumamoto Prefecture, destroying buildings and overturning trains and igniting fires that produced a smoldering smoke cloud that rose high into the sky.
Aerial footage from the affected areas showed entire buildings in flames, heavily damaged roads and “catastrophic damage” at a shopping mall where part of the building collapsed,” said one witness.
Emergency response teams rushed to the scene as firefighters battled massive blazes and search crews searched for people trapped under debris.
The epicenter of the earthquake was about 20 km south of Kumamoto City, the biggest city on Kyushu Island with more than 700,000 people. The earthquake was strong enough to be felt all over the area and panic erupted as people fled from homes and public buildings.
According to initial reports, around 50 people were injured, many of whom were sent to hospital. Some people were also trapped in a partially collapsed shopping mall at that time, officials said, and there was a massive amount of rescue effort by firefighters, police officers and specialized emergency services.
There was also serious infrastructure damage. Roads cracked and ruptured in areas affected by the earthquake and transportation was difficult and rescue efforts were delayed. The railway system was also disrupted train cars were overturned and railway tracks were damaged.
Utility companies said thousands of homes lost electricity and officials are still trying to determine how much water and communication systems could have been disrupted.
Emergency crews worked throughout the day to extinguish fires that erupted in some neighborhoods. Social media posts showed firefighters dousing burning buildings with water as smoke billowed over the city skyline.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency was closely monitoring the situation and warned residents to keep in mind that aftershocks are usually followed by strong earthquakes, and to be alert to follow aftershocks, they say, and to be on alert for aftershocks, which usually follow powerful earthquakes.
#WATCH | Kumamoto, Japan: Aerial footage shows buildings on fire, overturned trains and major damage to a shopping mall in Kumamoto prefecture after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck southern Japan. Emergency crews were seen trying to douse large flames… pic.twitter.com/SBqNyybEdu
— ANI (@ANI) July 28, 2026
Residents were told to avoid damaged buildings and stay away from unstable buildings and to follow evacuation instructions given by local government officials, officials said.
Japan is among the most earthquake-prone countries, because it is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where several tectonic plates meet. Building regulations and sophisticated early warning systems have helped to prevent casualties from big earthquakes, but strong tremors still pose serious hazards to densely populated regions.
Disaster response teams are still deployed in Kumamoto Prefecture as the damage is still being assessed. Search and rescue operations will continue until all affected areas are searched and all persons have been found.
Residents should be prepared for the situation, take emergency supplies, and watch out for aftershocks for the time being and look at official information as a possibility of an aftershock in the next couple days.
Government agencies are in coordination with relief efforts to help displaced families by restoring basic services to victims and helping displaced families.
