Rescue teams face ‘race against time’ in search for trapped survivors as death toll in Japan rises to at least 13 – live updates

Rescuers search for survivors in Japan after earthquake kills 13 peopleEmergency workers are continuing their search for survivors in southern Japan after yesterday’s powerful earthquake left widespread devastation, with buildings collapsed, roads severely damaged and emergency teams digging through rubble.At least 13 people have been killed and many reported missing after the earthquake struck the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu with a magnitude of 7.1, according to the Japan meteorological agency. The US Geological Survey measured it at magnitude 6.8.Collapsed buildings after an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan’s southern Kumamoto district. Photograph: KYODO/ReutersThe Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, said rescue workers faced a “race against time” to reach more people still trapped in rubble. “We will go all out to find and rescue as many people as we can,” she said.Eight people ⁠were pulled from the rubble of a ​partially collapsed Aeon shopping centre near the city of Kumamoto following an apparent explosion that occurred around an hour after the earthquake, according to reports. Aeon said four workers at the shopping centre remained unaccounted for.“I thought a bomb had gone off,” Takateru Sonoda, 41, who runs a hair salon and cafe near the shopping centre, told the Japanese Jiji Press news agency.“There were people calling on others to evacuate and sirens were ringing out. Nearby ⁠roads were gridlocked, it was a state of panic.”Aeon shopping centre was damaged by an explosion following the earthquake. Photograph: Hiro Komae/APSeven people are also still missing at the Nippon Paper Industries factory where a chimney collapsed on to the site. Japan’s Mainichi newspaper reported that four people were rescued from the rubble at the paper mill, including two who were seriously injured.Nearly 37,000 homes were still without electricity, 9,500 homes were without gas and communication networks were not working in some areas, chief government spokesperson Minoru Kihara told reporters. More than 9,000 people left their homes to stay in more than 500 shelters, Kihara added.Read our overnight report here:Key events29m agoRescuers search for survivors in Japan after earthquake kills 13 peopleToyoto and Honda said they will suspend operations in their factories in Kumamoto in southern Japan until Friday.“The ‌situation, including aftershocks ‌and recovery efforts, is changing daily,” Toyota said in a statement. “We will continue to prioritise safety above all else.”Honda Motor said the suspension would allow repairs to quake-damaged parts of the factory.Some images from Japan as search efforts continue after yesterday’s earthquake:The collapsed worship hall of Yatsushiro Shrine in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto prefecture, Japan. Photograph: Issei Kato/ReutersEmergency workers carry out search and rescue operations at a collapsed house in Hikawa Town, Kumamoto prefecture, Japan. Photograph: KYODO/ReutersA collapsed chimney at Nippon Paper Industries factory in Kumamoto. Photograph: KYODO/ReutersMembers of the media near the damaged Aeon shopping centre in Kumamoto, where an explosion occurred after the earthquake. Photograph: Kim Kyung-Hoon/ReutersA person looks at a damaged bridge in Kumamoto. Photograph: Issei Kato/ReutersRescuers search for survivors in Japan after earthquake kills 13 peopleEmergency workers are continuing their search for survivors in southern Japan after yesterday’s powerful earthquake left widespread devastation, with buildings collapsed, roads severely damaged and emergency teams digging through rubble.At least 13 people have been killed and many reported missing after the earthquake struck the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu with a magnitude of 7.1, according to the Japan meteorological agency. The US Geological Survey measured it at magnitude 6.8.Collapsed buildings after an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan’s southern Kumamoto district. Photograph: KYODO/ReutersThe Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, said rescue workers faced a “race against time” to reach more people still trapped in rubble. “We will go all out to find and rescue as many people as we can,” she said.Eight people ⁠were pulled from the rubble of a ​partially collapsed Aeon shopping centre near the city of Kumamoto following an apparent explosion that occurred around an hour after the earthquake, according to reports. Aeon said four workers at the shopping centre remained unaccounted for.“I thought a bomb had gone off,” Takateru Sonoda, 41, who runs a hair salon and cafe near the shopping centre, told the Japanese Jiji Press news agency.“There were people calling on others to evacuate and sirens were ringing out. Nearby ⁠roads were gridlocked, it was a state of panic.”Aeon shopping centre was damaged by an explosion following the earthquake. Photograph: Hiro Komae/APSeven people are also still missing at the Nippon Paper Industries factory where a chimney collapsed on to the site. Japan’s Mainichi newspaper reported that four people were rescued from the rubble at the paper mill, including two who were seriously injured.Nearly 37,000 homes were still without electricity, 9,500 homes were without gas and communication networks were not working in some areas, chief government spokesperson Minoru Kihara told reporters. More than 9,000 people left their homes to stay in more than 500 shelters, Kihara added.Read our overnight report here: