The death toll from a powerful earthquake in southwestern Japan rose to 34, the Kumamoto prefectural government said, as rescuers raced in last-ditch efforts to find survivors after the quake triggered a mall explosion, toppled a factory chimney, and flattened homes across the region.
The disaster left thousands of households without electricity and tens of thousands without tap water.
Thousands of residents remained in shelters or their vehicles, leaving medical workers concerned about heat-related illnesses as the region endured punishing summer temperatures.
The magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday. As search operations entered a fourth 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 quake-related deaths had been confirmed, with one more death still under investigation. Dozens of people were injured.
More than 79,000 homes were without water and over 2,700 without electricity as of yesterday afternoon.
Authorities said more than 9,000 people were staying in shelters, where power sources were being added to provide air conditioning.
Fuel has also become scarce as power outages disabled gas stations and quake damage disrupted deliveries from other regions.
Many have resorted to sleeping in their cars, but with the fuel shortage, they struggle to keep the air conditioning running in sweltering temperatures.
Temperatures yesterday were due to rise to 36°C in Kumamoto city, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, after stifling 35°C heat on Thursday.
Kumamoto is also a major industrial hub, and there are concerns that the quake could possibly disrupt semiconductor and auto-parts supply chains for months to come.
Japanese officials said yesterday afternoon was a crucial point for rescue efforts as some experts say survival chances decline after the first three days.
Meanwhile, sniffer dogs in Japan helped rescuers make a final sweep of a shopping mall wrecked by an explosion after the big earthquake.
“At the Aeon mall, 11 people were pulled out as of last night (Thursday), among them seven dead. To make sure that no one else is inside, we are finalising our confirmation with the assistance of professionally trained dogs,” government spokesman Minoru Kihara said. — Agencies
