Dozens of people remain missing after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake flattened a shopping centre in Japan.At least 13 people were confirmed dead on Tuesday after the quake, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said. A number were understood to have been killed following an explosion at the Aeon mall in Kashima Town, thought to have been triggered by a gas leak. A large chimney at a paper factory also collapsed amid reports of injuries and damage to roads, bridges and buildings, as well as blackouts and fire.An unknown number of people were trapped when the second floor of the shopping centre collapsed, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.Four people were pulled out with injuries and taken to a hospital while 10 others were unaccounted for.The extent of the damage is still under investigation as search-and-rescue efforts continue.A 35-year-old shopkeeper told Japan's Asahi newspaper he fled the building after a quake alert and heard an explosion sounding like a bomb blast around an hour later.When he turned around he reported seeing plumes of white smoke billowing from the mall. An aerial view shows the damaged Aeon Mall shopping centre after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan's southern Kumamoto prefecture Footage shows clouds of smoke billowing into the air as flames engulf a building This aerial image shows a section of the Kyushu Expressway damaged by the earthquake is seen in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Monday, July 28, 2026