A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture on Japan's southern island of Kyushu on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least 13 people. The quake collapsed the second floor of a shopping mall in Kashima and a factory chimney in Yatsushiro, trapping shoppers and workers, and nearly 10,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. Rescue teams, joined by Japan's Self-Defense Forces, are searching the rubble in what Prime Minister Takaichi called a race against time, working through summer heat while families wait anxiously for news of the missing. We pray for the injured, the bereaved, and all who wait for word of loved ones, and for the rescuers and relief workers labouring to reach them. May comfort come to every shaken heart, and may Kumamoto rebuild in strength and hope.