Japan earthquake deaths rise to 13 as rescuers race to find people trapped in mall | BBC News
Thirteen people have died in an earthquake that struck south-west Japan, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi says, adding that rescuers are in a "race against time".
Rescue efforts are underway at a shopping mall in Kumamoto, where many people are trapped.
Earlier, a Japanese official told the BBC that multiple people are unaccounted for at the centre, and at a factory after a chimney collapsed.
The earthquake - estimated at 6.8 magnitude by the US Geological Survey - hit inland on Kyushu island at 16:27 local time (07:27 GMT) on Tuesday.
Video Summary
AI GeneratedA magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Kyushu, Japan, resulting in at least 13 deaths and widespread destruction. Rescue efforts are currently focused on a partially collapsed Aeon Mall, where several people were trapped. Prime Minister Sanae Takeichi has mobilized 3,600 self-defense force members to assist with recovery and emergency operations amid ongoing aftershocks.