TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) – A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday, knocking out power to thousands of homes, rupturing roads, and leaving some trapped and others presumed dead inside a partially collapsed shopping mall.

Speaking to reporters at her office in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said authorities were still assessing the full extent of the damage in the area, which was devastated by a deadly quake a decade ago.

“We have already been informed that people have been injured. Power outages and fires have occurred in some areas, and there has also been damage to roads and bridges and the collapse of buildings,” Takaichi said.

“I ask everyone to take action to protect themselves, including evacuating to a safe location.”

Around 300,000 people have been instructed to go to evacuation centers, the disaster management agency said, while Takaichi said 3,600 soldiers would be deployed to help with the disaster recovery as aftershocks continued to rumble.

One hospital had reported more than 50 injuries, public broadcaster NHK said. Several people on a high-speed train at the time of the quake were also injured, media reported.

Multiple people were trapped inside an Aeon shopping mall rocked by an explosion that occurred after the earthquake, fire services said. Police said “quite a few” were presumed dead in the incident, broadcaster TBS reported.

An Aeon spokesperson said customers and employees were evacuated right after the initial quake and that the exact cause of the ensuing explosion was unclear.

Kazuya Tsurunaga told TBS he heard the explosion while........

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