# At least 13 people have been confirmed dead and many are still unaccounted for after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit southern Japan yesterday. Over 170 people have been injured. More than 260-thousand people were advised to evacuate, most of them in Kumamoto Prefecture and in the neighbouring Nagasaki Prefecture. Officials say people are unaccounted for at the Aeon Mall and at a paper factory. Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, says an emergency disaster countermeasures headquarters has been established. She says rescue teams are being guided by the principle of “human life first”.
At least 13 dead as rescuers race to find survivors after Japan earthquake