Aftershocks rippled across the southern island of Kyushu on Sunday after a magnitude 7.3 disaster killed 41 people and brought the area’s high-tech manufacturing industry to a halt.
In addition to the confirmed fatalities, more than 1,000 people were injured and 184,000 evacuated from their homes. In a graphic illustration of the earthquake’s power, the Great Aso Bridge — a single span of 206m opened in 1970 — collapsed into the ravine of the Black River below.
Kumamoto city, close to the epicentre, has a large semiconductor industry, while manufacturers such as Sony and Honda also have factories in the region. The quake left companies scrambling to determine the damage to their plants, sparking fears of disruption to the global supply chain. A shortage of parts out of Kyushu forced Toyota to begin temporary shutdowns at car plants across the country.