Japan earthquake: What we know so far

16 minutes agoGeorge WrightJapan is reeling from the latest major Earthquake to hit the country.Many people are trapped inside an Aeon Mall shopping centre after the Earthquake" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="173002" data-entity-type="topic">Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake hit Kyushu island, the fire service says.The quake has also caused power cuts, damaged roads, collapsed a castle wall and destroyed a footbridge.Information is still coming out of Japan but here is what we know so far.When and where in Japan was the Earthquake?The quake hit the Kumamoto prefecture on Kyushu island at 16:27 local time (07:27 GMT) on Tuesday, with about 300,000 people being told to move to evacuation shelters.Kumamoto - where the collapsed Aeon Mall is located - is a city on the Kyushu island of Japan.The southern island of Kyushu is the third-largest of the four main islands in Japan, and the second most populous.The Kumamoto prefecture is no stranger to earthquakes.A total of 278 people were killed in 2016 by powerful quakes in Kumamoto and neighbouring Oita prefectures, according to Japan's public broadcaster NHK.A map of the epicentre of the Earthquake in Kumamoto prefecture on Kyushu islandWhat happened at the shopping centre?Many people are trapped people inside an Aeon Mall in Kumamoto prefecture, the fire service says.The exact number of people missing is still unclear, but Japan's public broadcaster NHK reports police saying that contact has been lost with 20 to 30 employees.A witness reported seeing an explosion and smoke at the shopping mall after the quake.The witness saw the second floor of the building collapse, with some shoppers taken to hospital.Japan's fire and disaster management agency later confirmed that the second floor of a "commercial facility" collapsed, with many people trapped inside.AFP via Getty ImagesKumamoto - where the collapsed Aeon Mall is located - is a city on the Kyushu island of JapanWhere else has been affected?Elsewhere in the Kumamoto prefecture, people are reported missing at a paper factory after a chimney collapsed, according to police, who are being cited by NHK.Police and firefighters are investigating the scene at Nippon Paper Industries Yatsushiro Plant, which is located in Yatsushiro City in the wider Kumamoto prefecture, says the outlet.An aerial photograph of the site obtained by Reuters news agency appears to show a broken and collapsed chimney.ReutersPeople are thought to be missing after a chimney collapsed at the Nippon Paper Industries Yatsushiro PlantTremors also caused historic walls at the 17th-century Kumamoto castle to tumble.It is not the first time the castle has succumbed to an Earthquake. When a 7.3 magnitude quake hit the region in 2016, parts of the 400-year-old castle were also damaged as turrets and curved walls collapsed.ReutersTremors damaged walls at the 17th-century Kumamoto castleA footbridge also collapsed in the Kumamoto region.It is unclear if anyone was injured, or when the collapse took place. Traffic appears to be travelling on the bridge that runs parallel to it.More than 40,000 households are without power, according to an update on Kyushu Electric's website. There has also been damage to roads.There have been more than 60 aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 1 to 4, Japan's Meteorological Agency said.A tsunami warning was issued immediately after the quake, ​but was lifted within two hours.