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Kumamoto quake toll rises
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture on Kyushu island on Tuesday, and the death toll climbed to at least 34 people as the prefectural government reported the toll on Thursday.
“The death toll has grown to at least 34 people in southwestern Japan”
The quake destroyed homes, triggered an explosion at a mall, and caused a factory chimney to collapse, with the Kumamoto government also saying 86 people were injured, five of them seriously.
In Kumamoto, the prefectural government said the disaster left thousands of evacuees dealing with disrupted essential services, including water and electricity shortages, as rescue workers raced against time.
The BBC reported that temperatures could reach 39C in the prefecture in the coming days, while the Ministry of Environment sent out a heatstroke alert for the Kumamoto area.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters that the central government would take a lead role in coordinating rescue efforts and said, "The needs on the ground are constantly changing."
Heat, shelters, and search
As rescuers continued their search through extreme heat, the BBC said nearly 19,000 homes were still without electricity and more than 9,000 people were staying in roughly 400 shelters.
In the town of Hikawa, the BBC reported that residents were without water or electricity, or both, and that some were sleeping in their cars for fear of further tremors.
Yukiya Sanoue, who works at one of the centres, said heat stroke was the biggest concern at his facility, which hosts about 1,000 people, adding, "We have to make sure elderly people are not developing heatstrokes or dehydration."
The BBC also reported that on Wednesday Japan's defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced the delivery of 300 air conditioners to Kumamoto, with 150 of the units bound for evacuation centres.
In a separate account, the Guardian said almost 5,000 Self-Defence Forces (SDF) personnel deployed to the region faced temperatures of up to 35C on Thursday as a 5.8-magnitude aftershock overnight hampered rescue efforts.
Aftershocks and economic disruption
Beyond the immediate rescue effort, the BBC said the quake left widespread damage to houses and power lines and that the number of people still missing was unclear.
“parts of the ground had shifted by 87cm during the quake”
The Guardian reported that the earthquake registered the maximum level 7 on Japan’s seven-level shindo scale and said parts of the ground had shifted by 87cm during the quake.
The Guardian also said some car and semiconductor manufacturers with plants in Kyushu have halted production, with Toyota pausing operations at three plants while it assessed the quake’s impact on suppliers and logistics.
The BBC described the Aeon Mall in Kashima as one of the worst-hit buildings, where the mall's second floor collapsed and an explosion ripped through the mall about an hour later.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters, "We will go all out to find and rescue as many people as we can," as the sources tied the next phase to restoring electricity, gas and water while supplying fresh water.
