A huge 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit southern Japan earlier this week. This follows a 6.9-magnitude earthquake in northeast Japan just one month prior. The latest powerful quake has left
13 people dead and more than 100 people injured, with more still missing and trapped under the rubble.
Sign the petition to urge help from world leaders!The quake hit in the afternoon, and was followed by upwards of
100 aftershocks in the same region. It destroyed bridges, roads, and buildings, and left thousands of homes without power. At one point, around 300,000 people were instructed to leave their homes and head to evacuation centers.
Particularly terrifying: the quake also caused
an explosion at the Aeon indoor shopping mall, where people had been perusing around 200 different shops. The explosion threw debris from the mall into neighboring structures, including a parking lot, leaving internal steel beams exposed, and portions of the building partly collapsed and ripped away.
As of now, authorities believe that
many people are still trapped inside the massive building. Rescue teams have been in a 'race against time,' trying to locate any survivors as quickly as possible in order to save their lives. Around 2,700 people worked at the shops in the mall, and it is unknown how many customers were present at the time.
Nine workers are also still missing at a different site, a paper mill that also partially collapsed.
Japanese authorities have already deployed around 4,600 rescue workers to help, but the situation is urgent and requires as much help as possible.
We must urge world governments to come together to support Japan in its time of need! Sign the petition to urge intergovernmental cooperation to provide Japan with resources to assist in its efforts to save lives and rebuild.