Japan quake kills at least 5; more trapped in collapsed mall, factory

A major earthquake in Japan's southwest on Tuesday killed at least 13 people and left several injured or missing after a shopping center and a paper mill were heavily damaged, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said.

Public broadcaster NHK reported earlier that two victims were women in their 20s who were confirmed dead in a heavily damaged Aeon Mall shopping center in the city of Kashima in the hard-hit Kumamoto Prefecture. A third person was also found without vital signs, NHK said. The local fire department said that the second floor of the mall had collapsed.

NHK said the mall collapse followed an explosion that was likely caused by a gas leak.

Police in the city earlier told CBS News' Japanese partner network TBS that there were "a lot of deaths" in the mall, but that it would "take time to confirm the exact number."

There were at least 11 people trapped inside the Nippon Paper Industries Yatsushiro Plant in Kumamoto after a chimney collapsed during the quake, according to TBS, and two of them were later found without vital signs.

The quake that struck at 4:27 p.m. local time (2:27 a.m. ET) had a magnitude of 7.1, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, but reached the highest possible level of 7 on Japan's Shindo scale of shaking. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake — one of hundreds that strike Japan every year — at 6.8. The vast majority cause little damage.

At least 50 people were taken to hospitals and local emergency services and at least six other people were rescued earlier, according to NHK. Their conditions are unknown.

Takaichi said on social media she had established an emergency operations center. She warned that power outages and water shortages were occurring in the area, and raised concerns about heat-related emergencies. In recent days, Japan has faced temperatures of up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to NHK.

"I extend my heartfelt condolences to all those affected by the disaster," Takaichi said. "The government will work tirelessly through the night to swiftly assess the overall damage situation and carry out emergency disaster response measures, starting with the rescue and lifesaving of those affected."

Video aired by NHK showed several blazes, damaged bridges, a derailed cargo train and cracked roads after the temblor struck at the far southern end of Japan's main Kyushu island. NHK said at least 12 houses had collapsed, and the national Kyodo news agency said one person was killed in a damaged home.

The Japan Meteorological Agency initially issued an alert for a possible tsunami of up to 3 feet, but