'I thought I would die': Survivors describe the shock and horror of Japan's devastating earthquake

At Sendan Shokudo diner in Yatsushiro, southwestern Kumamoto prefecture, the evening routine was abruptly interrupted when the building lurched. Shelves toppled to the floor and bowls and glasses shattered across the room. The diner’s co‑owner, 75‑year‑old Hiroko Ogata, had just entered when the shaking began. She described the moment to BBC News, saying, “I was surprised, and scared,” she told BBC News. “I went under 1 of the tables close away, but the array moved sharply towards the right, left, right, left, with me.” Ogata has lived in Yatsushiro, located in central Kumamoto prefecture, her entire life. She noted that Japan lies on an active tectonic responsibility strategy and is no stranger to tremors, referencing the 2016 sequence in which a pair of earthquakes killed 277 people and injured 2,800 others. She emphasized that she had “never experienced this large of a jolt,” adding, “The past quake 10 years ago was thing similar this one,” she said. “I thought I would die.” Authorities report that at least 13 people have died in the aftermath of the 6.8‑magnitude earthquake that struck Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday. Three of the fatalities occurred at the Aeon buying promenade in Kumamoto city, where dozens are believed to remain trapped. Rescue teams are working on the scene, but Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned that emergency services are engaged in a “race against time.”