Dramatic CCTV footage has emerged showing a surgical team at a hospital in Kumamoto, Japan, shielding an anaesthetised patient and clinging to the operating table as a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook the theatre violently, part of a wider disaster that killed 38 people across Kyushu island.
Surgeons at a hospital in Kumamoto, Japan, were forced to battle a violent 7.1 magnitude earthquake while operating on a patient under anaesthetic, extraordinary CCTV footage has revealed. The footage shows the medical team gripping the operating table and shielding the unconscious patient as the theatre lurched from side to side, with equipment rattling and lights flickering overhead. According to Japanese media, the procedure was briefly paused before being successfully completed once conditions stabilised, with the hospital returning to normal service on 5 August.
What the footage shows
The CCTV recording captures the surgical team struggling to maintain their footing as the room shook beneath them. One medic can be seen being knocked to the floor while attempting to steady moving equipment, while two others cling onto the operating table to prevent it from shifting during the tremor. Throughout the disruption, staff continued working to protect the unconscious patient, holding the table steady and preventing surrounding equipment from moving until it was safe to resume the operation.
Japan maintains some of the strictest earthquake-resistant building standards in the world, and hospitals in the country are typically designed to remain operational during major seismic events wherever possible. Modern Japanese operating theatres are equipped with backup power systems, seismic safety procedures and emergency protocols that allow surgical teams either to continue or safely suspend procedures during an earthquake, depending on the circumstances at the time. The dramatic footage has since been widely praised on social media, with many commending the surgeons and medical staff for remaining calm and prioritising patient safety despite the violent shaking.
Scale of the earthquake
The magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Japan’s southern island of Kyushu on the afternoon of 28 July, causing widespread damage across Kumamoto Prefecture. The quake left approximately 38 people dead and more than 120 injured. Officials said the force of the tremor triggered an explosion at a shopping centre, brought down a factory chimney, and caused extensive damage to homes, roads and other infrastructure across the region.
Around 79,000 households lost access to running water, while roughly 3,500 homes remained without power for several days as temperatures climbed to 35C. Approximately 9,000 residents sought shelter in emergency accommodation, while many others whose homes had become uninhabitable were forced to sleep in their cars in the nights that followed. The tremor was strong enough to be felt across the sea in South Korea.
The town of Hikawa was among the areas worst affected, with local authorities estimating that more than 800 of its 4,500 homes were destroyed or damaged. Separately, seven people died when the Aeon Mall in the town of Kashima collapsed during the earthquake, with the building’s second floor giving way in the immediate aftermath.
Widespread disruption across Kyushu
Footage that emerged in the aftermath of the quake showed the scale of destruction across the region. Social media videos showed shoppers running for cover and crouching down as the ground shook inside the Aeon shopping centre in Kashima Town, while separate clips showed clouds of smoke and flames engulfing a building as firefighters worked to bring the blaze under control.
Further footage showed a collapsed section of bridge lying in a river in Yatsushiro City, while multiple freight wagons were derailed at Yatsushiro Station. Sections of the Kyushu Expressway, a major highway connecting Fukuoka and Kagoshima, suffered severe damage, with footage appearing to show parts of the road separated from the main structure or split apart entirely.
Scenes of panic also emerged from a Costco supermarket in the area, where footage showed toppled boxed food items and shoppers climbing over collapsed shelving as the earthquake struck. According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, large cracks appeared on major roads, including an elevated highway, rail services were suspended, and flights were grounded in the aftermath of the quake.
Industry response
Several major manufacturers took precautionary action following the earthquake. TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, evacuated workers from its plant in the affected area as a precautionary measure, according to a company spokesperson. Sony and Fujifilm also evacuated staff from their nearby facilities, according to reporting by the Nikkei newspaper.
Japan’s earthquake risk
Japan sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region where several tectonic plates meet, making it one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. The country experiences thousands of earthquakes each year, though the vast majority are too small to cause any noticeable damage. The 28 July earthquake in Kyushu stands out as one of the more destructive seismic events to affect the region in recent years, prompting a large-scale emergency response across Kumamoto Prefecture.
