A 7.1 magnitude earthquake has hit Japan: explosion in a shopping center, victims feared

At least 50 people had to seek treatment in hospital while at least 12 houses collapsed according to an initial estimate. There was also serious damage to cultural heritage: some parts of the walls of …

Jack Williams

Written by: Jack Williams

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A 7.1 magnitude earthquake has hit Japan: explosion in a shopping center, victims feared

At least 50 people had to seek treatment in hospital while at least 12 houses collapsed according to an initial estimate. There was also serious damage to cultural heritage: some parts of the walls of Kumamoto Castle collapsed, one of the largest, most impressive and militarily advanced fortresses in all of Japan. Built starting in 1601 by the powerful warlord Kato Kiyomasa, it is considered an absolute masterpiece of samurai defensive architecture and is known for the design of its stone walls.

Japan is one of the most seismic-active countries in the world, sitting above four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific “Ring of Fire”. The archipelago, home to about 125 million people, typically experiences hundreds of tremors each year and accounts for about 18% of the world’s earthquakes.

Many people were saved from the earthquake in Venezuela thanks to an alarm sent via cell phone (but this is not possible in Italy)

Aerial images taken from a news report Nhk show severe damage to the Kyushu Highway, where sections of the bridge appear to have shifted and separated at expansion joints following the earthquake.

Japan earthquake, explosion in a shopping center

An explosion occurred at Aeon Mall and the second floor collapsed trapping several people. The company says customers have been evacuated and that it is monitoring the situation. According to firefighters, part of the building’s second floor collapsed following the explosion, trapping many people inside. The images taken from a helicopter Nhk they show parts of the external walls of the shopping center that have detached, revealing what appears to be the load-bearing structure of the building.

Kumamoto prefecture had already been devastated by a double earthquake of magnitude 6.5 and 7.3 ten years ago, with 270 victims. Rescue operations are underway while the population remains on alert for possible aftershocks.

Jack Williams

Jack Williams

Jack Williams established himself as the editor-in-chief of The Vermilion with rigorous journalistic traits and an incessant quest for truth. His career began as an investigative reporter, where he quickly gained a reputation for his in-depth research and insightful articles. Williams takes his role at The Vermilion very seriously. Since he became editor-in-chief, he has set an editorial line based on impartiality, factual accuracy, and context relevance; this has established The Vermilion as a reference for political, economic, and global news. Under his leadership, the media continues its mission of reporting news with accuracy and equanimity, giving a voice to those who are often overlooked by large-scale media. Jack dedicates himself to fulfilling this mandate with passion, rigour, and unwavering determination.

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