Overview
- A powerful earthquake that struck Kumamoto on July 28 registered maximum seismic intensity 7 and caused widespread collapse of houses, damage to historic sites, and tens of thousands of residents to flee to shelters or sleep in vehicles.
- Authorities have reported multiple deaths and many injured with figures still being updated, and prefectural officials said roughly 8,700 to 10,000 people had gathered at evacuation centers by the day after the quake.
- An explosion inside Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima Town killed three people and led to at least five rescues while police say several people remain trapped and have released internal video showing severe ceiling collapse and scattered debris.
- The National Police Agency also released footage of heavy damage at the Nippon Paper Yatsushiro plant where a chimney collapsed, and the government has ordered fuel‑supply coordination and set up emergency response units to support search, sheltering, and utility restoration.
- Researchers from Hiroshima University who did on‑the‑ground surveys reported on July 29 that parts of the Hinagu fault that moved in the 2016 Kumamoto quakes appear to have slipped again, a rare short‑interval reactivation that could affect regional seismic assessments.