At Kumamoto General Hospital, in Yatsushiro, Japan, a surgical team had a patient open on the operating table when a magnitude 6.8 earthquake shook the entire structure on July 28, 2026. Security cameras captured the exact moment: the anesthesia team’s arm sways, the monitors shake, and a chair rolls across the floor. The surgeons did not let go of the instruments at any point, even going so far as to cover the patient with their own bodies, while the rest of the staff secured evacuation routes without leaving the room.
According to Japanese media, there were four surgeries underway at the hospital at the time of the earthquake. None were interrupted. Japanese medical protocol provides that, unless there is an imminent structural risk, an open operation cannot be stopped midway through the procedure without directly endangering the life of the patient on the table.
The water supply was cut off after the earthquake and outpatient care was suspended for hours, until the hospital confirmed that service could resume.