A powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck southwestern Japan on Tuesday, causing significant damage and injuring approximately 50 people. One person was confirmed dead after being found in a collapsed house in Kumamoto prefecture. The quake, which hit Kyushu island at 16:27 local time, forced around 300,000 people to evacuate their homes. Aftershocks continued to rattle the region.

Damage was widespread, with reports of trapped individuals at the Aeon Mall in Kumamoto prefecture, where the second floor collapsed. A traffic bridge in Yatsushiro city also collapsed into a river, and the Kyushu Expressway sustained damage. Footage revealed cracked roads, damaged bridges, and several buildings engulfed in flames.

Kumamoto Castle, which had been reconstructed in 1960 and was previously damaged in a 2016 earthquake, sustained further damage. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara confirmed the deployment of emergency responders and urged residents to heed evacuation information from local authorities. Japan, situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, is highly susceptible to seismic activity, experiencing around 1,500 quakes annually.