{
  "id": 328452,
  "title": "News in Easy English: Kumamoto farmer happy Filipino interns are safe after major quake",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/news-in-easy-english-kumamoto-farmer-happy-filipino-interns-are-safe",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-08T02:00:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260806/p2a/00m/0na/038000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "HIKAWA, Kumamoto -- Two Filipino interns were safe after a strong earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28, said Kazuyo Sekimoto, a farmer in Hikawa. The 56-year-old farmer was overjoyed that the interns were unharmed. Hikawa experienced the highest level of 7 on Japan's earthquake scale during the July 28 quake. Sekimoto's home suffered significant damage in the Kumamoto earthquakes a decade ago, so she raced out of the main house and shouted at the top of her lungs, \"Run!\" to the annex where the interns were staying. However, the two women had already evacuated to the safety of the outdoors. One intern, 24, had experienced earthquakes in the Philippines before but this quake was the strongest she had ever felt - it was the scariest moment of her life, she said. The 31-year-old intern gazed at the shattered annex building and expressed relief that they had not run any later, as it might have resulted in their deaths. Sekimoto couldn't help but think of the two women's families back home; she empathized with the anxiety their families must have experienced during a disaster in a foreign country. The farm is about to enter a busy season, so Sekimoto asked the women if they wanted to return to the Philippines. They expressed fear due to the frequent earthquakes, but they wished to stay and assist. They referred to Sekimoto as their \"mother\" and revealed that she was going through her own hardships. Sekimoto embraced her interns tightly, shedding tears as she expressed her deep bond with them, stating, \"We are not related by blood, but we are family. I hope we can rebuild our lives together.\"",
  "summary": "HIKAWA, Kumamoto -- Two Filipino technical interns were safe after a strong earthquake hit Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28. Their host farmer cried wit",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}