The death toll from a powerful earthquake in south-west Japan has risen to 13, as rescue workers race to find more survivors from underneath the rubble,
BBC reports.
The magnitude 6.8 quake struck Kumamoto prefecture late on Tuesday, damaging roads and buildings, shutting rail networks, and forcing thousands to evacuate to shelters.
Three of the fatalities are from the Aeon Mall in Kashima, where a portion of the second floor collapsed, the fire department said.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gave her condolences to those who had died and thanked emergency services for their continued efforts.
"It's a race against time," Takaichi said in an update on Wednesday morning.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) measured the earthquake magnitude at 7.1 and the US Geological Survey later placed it at 6.8. Quake magnitude figures are often updated as seismologists obtain and analyse new data.
The quake's shallow epicentre - with a depth of 10 km (six miles) - was about 20km south of Kumamoto city.
In nearby Kashima, the fire department said the Aeon shopping mall's "second floor collapsed".
Footage of the shopping centre shows white smoke rising from the building, as people run into the carpark. Large parts of the mall's exterior have been blown off, exposing the steel beams underneath.
Eight people have been rescued from the mall, AFP news agency reported.
