A powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake has rattled southwestern Japan, triggering widespread structural damage, multiple injuries, and leaving an unknown number of people trapped inside a damaged regional shopping mall, Japanese government officials confirmed Tuesday. The seismic event struck inland on Kyushu Island at 16:27 local time (07:27 GMT), with its epicenter located just 10 kilometers (six miles) below the Earth’s surface—a shallow depth that often amplifies the quake’s destructive power.\n\nLocal reports indicate an explosion occurred at the Aeon Mall in Kashima Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, a popular regional retail destination that now stands heavily damaged, with multiple people believed trapped in its collapsed sections. Aerial imagery captured by local news outlets shows severe structural compromise to the multi-story building, matching footage aired by Japan’s national public broadcaster NHK that reveals cracked roadways, damaged critical infrastructure including bridges, and multiple out-of-control building fires across the affected region.\n\nIn the immediate aftermath of the quake, Japanese authorities issued a brief tsunami alert for coastal areas of Kyushu, but the warning was canceled within an hour as no dangerous wave activity was recorded. Even so, more than 150,000 residents across affected prefectures have been ordered to evacuate their homes and relocate to designated emergency evacuation shelters as response teams continue to clear hazardous damaged areas.\n\nJapanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters Tuesday that disaster response teams are still working to map the full scale of human and property losses from the event. “We are still assessing the extent of injuries and property damage, but I have been informed that there have already been several injuries,” Takaichi said. The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued an urgent warning for residents to remain alert, noting that strong aftershocks are highly likely in the coming days and weeks due to the quake’s shallow epicenter.\n\nJapan sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, the world’s most geologically active seismic belt, making it one of the most earthquake-prone nations on the planet. The country records roughly 1,500 detectable seismic events each year, and has invested heavily in strict building codes and early warning systems to reduce casualties during major quakes.