A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Japan's southern Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday, triggering widespread destruction, knocking out electricity to tens of thousands of homes, damaging critical infrastructure, and leaving dozens of people feared trapped beneath the rubble of a partially collapsed shopping mall.
Japanese authorities said rescue operations were underway after part of the Aeon shopping mall in Kumamoto gave way following the quake, with emergency responders struggling to gain access to the building due to structural instability, according to Reuters.
According to public broadcaster NHK, police said between 20 and 30 employees could not immediately be accounted for after an explosion occurred at the shopping complex in the aftermath of the earthquake.
Authorities were still working to determine whether the missing workers were trapped inside the building.
While most shoppers were safely evacuated shortly after the tremor, officials were also trying to establish whether any customers remained missing.
