Once again, the ancient restlessness beneath Japan's islands has asserted itself, this time in Kumamoto, where a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on a Tuesday and left eighteen confirmed dead by Wednesday morning, with rescuers still moving through the rubble. The disaster touched the ordinary rhythms of life — shoppers in a crowded mall, factory workers at their stations, a young Vietnamese man far from home — reminding us that catastrophe does not announce itself. Japan, a nation long schooled in seismic grief, now faces the familiar and terrible work of counting its losses while the living s
Death toll climbs to 18 as rescuers search Kumamoto quake rubble
At least 18 people killed including a Vietnamese technical intern crushed by falling crane; 62 injured; 8,800 displaced to shelters; four people trapped at factory site.