Moment Japanese mall is blown to pieces in explosion moments after devastating earthquake as death toll climbs to 13 with warnings of aftershocks

A mall in Japan was blown to pieces after a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake tore through the country's southern island of Kyushu on Tuesday, leaving several people trapped under rubble. The earthquake has left at least 13 people dead, knocked power to thousands of homes and ruptured roads across the region. Meanwhile, residents have been warned to prepare for strong aftershocks over the coming days.Dashcam footage captured by a passing car shows the moment the shopping centre exploded after the second floor of the Aeon shopping mall in Kashima Town collapsed in on itself. Video captured debris flying while a massive cloud of dust and smoke billowed out into the street.The apparent explosion occurred about an hour after the earthquake, and authorities are working to determine what led to the blast - with one possible theory being a gas explosion, according to local media.Eight people were pulled from the rubble of the partially collapsed shopping mall. Of them, three have died. Rescuers have continued their search for survivors on Wednesday. Mall operator Aeon said four workers at the shopping centre remained unaccounted for. Customers were evacuated immediately after the initial tremor. A mall in Japan was blown to pieces after a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake tore through the country's southern island of Kyushu on Tuesday Dashcam footage captured by a passing car shows the moment the shopping centre exploded after the second floor of the Aeon shopping mall collapsed in on itself Screen grab shows debris flying while a massive cloud of dust and smoke billows out into the street'Even now, people are waiting to be rescued, and this is a race against ​time. We will marshal all available resources on the ground to save and rescue as many people as possible,' Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters in Tokyo.Emergency fire rescue teams, police and around 170 army personnel were focusing on areas of the building where calls for help had been received. More ​than 4,500 soldiers have been deployed to help with recovery efforts across the quake zone.Seven people are also missing after a chimney collapsed at a Nippon Paper Industries plant, while four others are seriously ​injured, a local government official said. Hospitals were reported to be treating dozens of patients.Across the prefecture, which also suffered a deadly earthquake a decade ago, around 260,000 people were instructed to go to evacuation centres, authorities said.Police said they received 386 emergency calls after the quake hit, including reports of collapsed buildings and people seeking rescue.The quake's epicentre was about 12 miles south of Kumamoto City, central Kyushu's largest city with a population of ​around 700,000. A drone view shows a damaged bridge after an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan's southern Kumamoto Prefecture, in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, July 29, 2026 This aerial image shows rescue operation at the Nippon Paper Industries Co.'s Yatsushiro factory, following an earthquake in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, Wednesday, July 29, 2026 Rescue workers use a heavy machine to clear debris to search missing at Aeon Mall In this aerial image, Aeon Mall Kumamoto is seen a day after a suspected gas explosion following a powerful earthquake Rescuers have continued their search for survivors on Wednesday at the shopping centreIn nearby Yatsushiro city — among the hardest-hit areas — many homes had damaged roofs and a handful of collapsed buildings lay scattered. Roads leading to this coastal town were cracked and buckled in ​places, and many businesses remained shuttered.Part of a bridge had collapsed into the Kumagawa River, drawing a steady trickle of curious residents to the site.Authorities have warned residents in the areas that felt the biggest tremors to ‌be on alert ⁠for further strong quakes for about a week, as well as for the risk of landslides.As many as 170 aftershocks have been recorded as of Wednesday morning. With more than 36,000 homes still without power as temperatures soar to around 34 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, authorities also warned about the risk of heat stroke.One hospital in Uki city, near the epicentre, said a power outage caused by the earthquake meant it was unable to function.'It's become like a field hospital,' the head of the administrative department told NHK. Another hospital in the city said it had suspended admissions as it could no longer handle additional emergency cases after accepting 86 ​injured people following the quake, including three with ​serious injuries.Several passengers aboard high-speed trains at ⁠the time of the quake were also injured, said operators, who immediately suspended all services after the jolt. Emergency workers carry out search and rescue operations at a collapsed house A man stands near a collapsed concrete block wall of his house damaged by the 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Uki city, Kumamoto Prefecture on July 29, 2026 This aerial image shows a chimney collapsed at the Nippon Paper Industries Co.'s Yatsushiro factory, following the earthquake A mini truck is crushed by a fallen part of a pachinko parlor building, a day after an earthquake in Uki, Kumamoto prefecture, Wednesday, July 29, 2026 Damage is seen to part of the compound of the Shohinken gardens in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, on July 29, 2026Public attention was focused on the collapse of the Aeon mall, the largest in the prefecture.One side of the mall, which houses around 200 stores, was torn away, exposing steel beams and strewing debris ​across a parking lot, footage showed. Located on the 'Ring of Fire' of volcanoes and oceanic trenches that partly encircles the Pacific Basin, Japan accounts for about 20 per cent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 ​or more.A massive earthquake in Kumamoto 10 years ago killed 275 people and injured a further 2,739, according to ​an official count, and damaged thousands of buildings, including the walls of the city's castle, a top tourist site.The castle was also among several historic buildings damaged in Tuesday's quakes alongside shrines with heavy tiled roofs that partially collapsed and a 17th-century ​tea house.