13 dead after powerful quake strikes Japan's Kumamoto

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Wednesday that 13 people had been confirmed dead after a powerful earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan.

The magnitude-7.1 quake struck Kumamoto Prefecture at 4:27 p.m. on Tuesday (1927 GMT) at a depth of about 10 kilometers, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

According to the Kumamoto prefectural government, eight people had been pulled out from inside AEON Mall Kumamoto, a major shopping complex in Kashima Town in the region. Among them, two women in their 20s were confirmed dead, while another person was found in cardiac arrest. 

Authorities are investigating a possible gas explosion, local media reported. The full extent of the disaster remained unclear. Around 20 to 30 mall workers were unaccounted for on Tuesday, NHK said. 

The earthquake caused widespread damage, with houses, factories and other buildings collapsing in the affected area. Seven people are also missing after a chimney collapsed at a Nippon Paper Industries factory, while four others are seriously injured, a local government official said. 

The earthquake has also severely disrupted transport infrastructure in the area. Rail services across Kyushu, including the Kyushu Shinkansen, have been suspended. NHK reported damage to a viaduct in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.

Across the prefecture, which also suffered a deadly earthquake a decade ago, around 260,000 people were instructed to go to evacuation centers, authorities said.

The quake's epicenter was about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south ‌of Kumamoto City, central Kyushu's largest city with a population of around 700,000. 

Authorities have warned residents in the areas that felt the biggest tremors to be on alert for ​further strong quakes for about a week, as well as for the risk of landslides. 

With more than 36,000 homes still without power, authorities are worried about the risk of heat stroke as temperatures soar to around 34 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. 

(With input from Reuters)