A powerful earthquake registering at 6.8 magnitude — 7.0 in the most affected areas — devastated Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, on Tuesday, resulting in widespread fires, building damage, and, in one case, preceding an explosion tearing the facade off of a shopping mall.
Japanese authorities at press time have documented only one death, but dozens are feared to be trapped in homes, factories, and the Aeon Kumamoto mall, which had recently reopened after being severely damaged in a similar wave of earthquakes in 2016. Kumamoto, located in far south Japan about 200 miles from Busan, South Korea, most recently experienced a similarly devastating earthquake a decade ago and is prone to...
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