A major earthquake in Japan that all but destroyed a shopping mall killed at least 13 people, officials said Wednesday, as rescuers struggled to reach survivors feared trapped in the wreckage.

The 7.1-magnitude tremor on Tuesday flattened homes, triggered fires, ruptured bridges and left tens of thousands without power in the southwestern Kumamoto region, where twin quakes killed hundreds in 2016.

“Extensive damage has been confirmed, including casualties, collapsed buildings, fires and damage to roads,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in Tokyo as she announced the 13 fatalities.

Thus far, no report of Filipinos hurt in the tremor has been reported, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said.

The DMW advised Filipinos in Kyushu and surrounding areas to remain vigilant, prepare for aftershocks, and follow official updates from local authorities and the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Government spokesperson Minoru Kihara said that seven other persons were seriously injured and that as of early Wednesday more than 9,000 people had sought refuge in 506 shelters in three regions of Kyushu island.

Some stunned locals said the quake was the strongest they had felt in their lifetimes, measuring at the top of Japan’s seven-level shindo scale of shakiness, at which it is impossible to remain standing.

“It was the strongest quake I ever experienced,” Kanzo Matsumoto, 73, the operator of a luxury onsen hot spring inn in Yatsushiro, told AFP.

“I’m not sure if (the region) will be able to recover from the damage,” he added.

Chiharu Hara, a 35-year-old recruitment agent, said she was “terrified” when the quake struck.

“The office swayed violently side to side. I was afraid it would collapse. Everyone panicked,” Hara said.

Gas blast kills 2

At least two of the dead were women killed in a shopping mall in the town of Kashima, apparently gutted by a gas explosion around half an hour after the quake, which was followed by dozens of aftershocks.

Footage from inside the mall showed rescue workers in orange overalls and white helmets picking their way through a mass of twisted steel, dangling cables and chunks of ceiling.

“The explosion occurred after the customers and staff had evacuated,” a spokesman for the mall’s operator Aeon said.

Eight people were rescued from the mall, five of whom had injuries, a local official indicated.

Initial reports said that from 20 to 30 people were trapped inside, but broadcaster NHK cited police early Wednesday as saying the number was “lower than that.”

Nine people were unaccounted for in a Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro, where part of a red-and-white smokestack smashed into the sprawling facility below, officials said.