Japan's Earthquake Death Toll Rises To 28 As Search For Survivors Enters Critical Phase
· Free Press Journal
Tokyo, July 30, 2026: Hopes of finding more survivors were fading on Thursday as rescue teams continued searching through the rubble in Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture, two days after a powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the southern main island of Kyushu.
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The quake triggered an explosion at a shopping mall, toppled a factory chimney and destroyed homes, leaving at least 28 people dead and 63 injured, including five seriously, according to officials.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the death toll of 28 was based on a police tally that includes cases still under investigation. He added that some of those deaths could later be found to be unrelated to the earthquake.
The number of people still missing remained unclear as rescuers raced against time to locate survivors.
Thousands Remain Displaced
More than 10,000 people spent another night in about 400 evacuation centres across the affected region, while nearly 23,000 homes remained without electricity. Some households also continued to face water shortages or stayed away from their homes due to fears of aftershocks.
Authorities were adding power sources at shelters to improve air conditioning as temperatures were expected to reach 33C on Thursday. The Ministry of the Environment also issued a heatstroke alert for the Kumamoto area.
In the hard-hit town of Hikawa, many residents were living in cars, parks or temporary shelters because of damaged homes and disrupted utilities. Officials distributed bottled water and packaged instant rice, while Ground Self-Defense Force personnel supplied fresh water.
Yoshiaki Nakashima, 66, who came to collect water with his pet dog, said he preferred staying in his car instead of an evacuation centre and was also reluctant to sleep at home because of continuing aftershocks.
“It's difficult to turn over while sleeping in a car,” he said, adding that living in a shelter was even more difficult.
Akiko Inazaki, a resident in her 30s, has been living in a tent outside her home, which has been without water and electricity since the quake.
“Fresh water is so valuable,” she said. Inazaki added that she had been drinking so little water that she almost suffered heatstroke.
Town official Yuzuru Tamura said emergency food supplies, including canned bread and instant rice, were beginning to run low.
Mall Collapse Leaves Families Awaiting News
The worst damage occurred at the Aeon Mall in Kashima, where thousands of shoppers were present when the earthquake struck on Tuesday afternoon.
The company said around 3,000 customers were evacuated to a parking area before an explosion occurred in another section of the mall, where employees were still working. The second floor later collapsed, trapping several people.
By early Thursday, authorities had confirmed six deaths at the mall among the 11 people pulled from the wreckage. Families of those still missing continued to wait near the site for updates despite the intense heat.
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Japan's Deadly 7.1 EarthQuake Kills 13; Massive Rescue Operation Underway As Search For Survivors Continues | VideoFactory Chimney Collapse Claims More Lives
In the Yatsushiro area, the collapse of a chimney at a Nippon Paper Industries factory caused further casualties.
According to the Kumamoto Prefectural Government disaster team, 10 people were rescued from the site, while eight died and one person remained missing.
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