Death toll from southwestern Japan quake climbs to 34
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake in southwestern Japan has resulted in at least 34 deaths and significant infrastructure damage. Rescue operations are ongoing amidst extreme heat, which poses health risks to survivors and displaced residents.
Why it matters
The disaster highlights the vulnerability of infrastructure to seismic activity and the humanitarian challenges of managing large-scale displacement during extreme weather events.
KUMAMOTO, Japan — The death toll climbed to 34 from a powerful earthquake in southwestern Japan that set off an explosion at a mall, toppled a factory chimney and flattened homes, the Kumamoto prefectural government said Friday.
The magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Japan's southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday. As search operations entered a 4th day, it wasn't known how many people remained missing and the scale of the damage to homes across the region was still unclear.
Officials said 34 deaths had been confirmed as related to the disaster, with one more death still under investigation. Dozens of people were injured.
More than 79,000 homes were without water and more than 3,500 without electricity on Friday. Authorities said more than 9,000 people were staying in shelters, where power sources were being added to provide air conditioning.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in