KUMAMOTO, JAPAN — Emergency responders intensified search-and-rescue efforts across southwestern Japan on Friday as the official death toll from a powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake climbed to 34. The quake, which struck the southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday, triggered a major explosion at a shopping mall, flattened residential structures, and collapsed industrial infrastructure.
According to the Kumamoto prefectural government, 34 fatalities have been officially confirmed as disaster-related, with at least one additional death currently under investigation. Dozens more remain hospitalized with various injuries.
Search Operations Continue at Blast-Damaged Mall
Rescue operations remain heavily focused on the town of Kashima in Kumamoto Prefecture, where the Aeon Mall shopping center suffered catastrophic structural damage. The complex was bustling with thousands of shoppers when the main tremor struck on Tuesday.
While approximately 3,000 customers were successfully evacuated to open parking areas, a subsequent explosion rocked another section of the complex where staff members were still working, causing the second floor to collapse and trapping workers beneath heavy rubble.
Speaking to reporters in Tokyo on Friday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara confirmed that seven people have been found dead at the mall site, while 11 survivors have been pulled from the wreckage. Search teams continue to comb through the unstable debris, though authorities have not disclosed the exact number of individuals who remain unaccounted for.
Meanwhile, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara announced that search and recovery efforts have concluded at a Nippon Paper Industries facility in the Yatsushiro area, where a massive industrial chimney collapsed during the initial shock. Rescuers successfully saved 11 workers from the site, while nine fatalities were confirmed.
Heatwave Threatens Disaster Survivors in Shelters
Beyond the immediate structural damage, humanitarian concerns are escalating rapidly due to sweltering summer temperatures across Kyushu. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued heat advisory warnings for Kumamoto City, where afternoon temperatures were projected to reach 36°C (97°F) on Friday following Thursday’s oppressive 35°C (95°F) heat.
More than 9,000 displaced residents are currently taking refuge in emergency shelters. Regional energy provider Kyushu Electric Power Co. reported that over 3,500 homes remain without electricity, prompting emergency management officials to deploy mobile generators and power trucks to shelters to keep air conditioning units running and prevent heat-related illnesses among vulnerable survivors.
