Rescuers racing against time after Kumamoto quake kills at least 18

Parts of southwestern Japan are still reeling from a major quake that struck Kumamoto on the southern main island of Kyushu a day earlier, which has killed 18 people thus far with 62 others injured.

Soldiers and emergency workers frantically haul survivors from debris in a race against time.

An explosion suspected to have been caused by a gas leak occurred at AEON Mall Kumamoto, a major shopping complex in Kashima Town shortly after the shallow tremor hit at around 4:27 p.m. Tuesday local time. The second floor of the mall collapsed.

Customers had been evacuated right after the initial quake, but many were feared trapped, the exact number was not available.

Media reports say among the eight pulled out of the rubble, three were pronounced dead.

Aeon said four of its workers remained unaccounted for following checks of the roughly 2,700 staff.

CEO of the retail giant Akio Yoshida offers his apologies to the victims in a press briefing, saying he feels deeply responsible.

The Kumamoto emergency team has reported the collapse of a chimney at the Nippon Paper Industries Co.'s Yatsushiro factory. Two survivors and two bodies were removed, while seven people are feared trapped beneath heavy debris.

Aerial footage captures a damaged shrine at Yatsushiro Castle Ruins, which is among the historic buildings affected in Tuesday's quakes.

The devastation has knocked tens of thousands of homes out of electricity and suspended operations across Kumamoto's tech and auto manufacturing corridor.

According to Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, nearly 10,000 households were left without gas and communication networks. Over 9,000 residents spent the night in over 500 evacuation centres set up across Kyushu as aftershocks continue to rock the region.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi tells reporters that the federal government is preparing to deliver food and other necessities to the quake-stricken areas. "There are people who are still waiting for help and it's a race against time," she says.

Meanwhile, the snarled transport networks across southern Japan leave many commuters stranded in the peak summer travel season.

Services at the Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train remain suspended, while Kumamoto Airport has resumed limited flights.

In Beijing, a foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday says China is closely following the recent earthquake and expresses mourning for lives lost and sympathies to the bereaved families and the injured in the disaster.

{Danni Zhou TVB News}

{Rescuers racing against time after Kumamoto quake kills at least 18}

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