Japanese officials confirmed on Thursday that the fatalities from a magnitude 6.8 earthquake in southwestern Japan have risen to 30. The disaster, which struck Kumamoto prefecture on Kyushu island on Tuesday, caused widespread destruction to homes and electrical infrastructure.
Search and rescue teams are working tirelessly amid concerns regarding extreme heat. Forecasts suggest temperatures in the prefecture could hit 39C, raising risks of heatstroke for both survivors and responders. To assist, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced the distribution of 300 air conditioning units, half of which are designated for evacuation sites housing nearly 9,000 displaced citizens.
The impact was particularly severe at an Aeon shopping center in Kashima, where a portion of the building collapsed and an explosion, suspected to be gas-related, occurred shortly after the initial tremor. While 25 cats from a mall-based cafe were successfully retrieved, rescue operations remain ongoing at various sites, including a partially collapsed Nippon Paper factory in Yatsushiro city where five deaths have been reported.
Over 100 aftershocks have rattled the region since Tuesday, prompting many residents to sleep in vehicles due to safety concerns. Currently, more than 30,000 households remain without power as recovery efforts continue across the prefecture.
