TOKYO - Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Wednesday the government has confirmed that 13 people died after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto the previous day, with search efforts continuing and shinkansen bullet train services still suspended.
The Tokyo metropolitan police said it had dispatched at least one helicopter and an eight-member emergency rescue team specializing in disaster response to assist in the search for missing people.
After the quake Tuesday afternoon, an explosion rocked a shopping mall in Kashima in Kumamoto Prefecture operated by the Aeon group. Local authorities said two women were confirmed dead, one woman was found unresponsive and five others were injured.
Around 200 people had been evacuated before the collapse of the mall's second floor.
Services on the Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train line remained suspended, according to its operator.
Trams will resume operation at reduced speeds in the city of Kumamoto, according to the Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau, which warned that services could be suspended in the event of another strong earthquake.
Meanwhile, Japan Airlines Co. and All Nippon Airways Co. canceled 11 and two flights, respectively, due to the earthquake.
Some businesses in the region suspended operations in the wake of the temblor, while several thousand households were without electricity.
Some areas in Kumamoto registered the maximum of 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale after the prefecture was rocked by the temblor at 4:27 p.m.
