Japan quake kills at least 13 as thousands seek shelter
This aerial image shows a damaged chimney of the Nippon Paper Industries Co.’s Yatsushiro factory, following an earthquake in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, July 29, 2026. (Naoki Hiraoka/Kyodo News via AP)
At least 13 people were killed and more than 9,000 sought shelter after a powerful earthquake struck southwestern Japan, severely damaging a shopping mall and a paper factory, officials said on July 29.
The quake hit Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu at 4:27 p.m. the previous day. The Japan Meteorological Agency measured it at magnitude 7.1 and said it reached Shindo 7, the highest level on the country’s seismic intensity scale. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a magnitude of 6.8.
“There are people who are still waiting to be rescued, and it’s a race against time,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said, pledging full-scale rescue efforts.
