Japan earthquake now: death toll rises amid extreme heat
A powerful magnitude 6.8 earthquake now linked to 34 deaths struck Kumamoto prefecture on Kyushu on Tuesday. Rescuers are still searching wreckage in extreme heat, while thousands of evacuees face power outages, water shortages, and temperatures forecast near 39C, according to Japanese authorities and the BBC.
Key Takeaways
- The death toll from Tuesday's Kumamoto quake has risen to 34 as search teams keep working through dangerous heat.
- Roughly 9,000 people are in evacuation centres; more than 30,000 households were without power as of Wednesday.
- A section of Kashima's Aeon mall collapsed, followed by an explosion about an hour later that is under investigation.
- At least five people died at a Nippon Paper factory in Yatsushiro after the building partially collapsed.
- Officials are rushing cooling gear to shelters as heatstroke risks climb for survivors and rescuers.
What happened in the Japan earthquake now?
Authorities in Kumamoto said Thursday that 34 people have died after the shallow magnitude 6.8 quake hit southwestern Japan on Tuesday. The tremor, about 10km (six miles) deep, damaged houses and power lines across the prefecture, the BBC reported.
Thousands of personnel are still digging through rubble. More than 100 aftershocks have been recorded, and many residents have slept in their cars for fear of further shaking.
Why are heat and thirst making recovery harder?
Temperatures in the prefecture could reach 39C in coming days. Officials are urging survivors and rescuers to guard against heatstroke while recovery continues.
Around 9,000 displaced residents are staying in evacuation centres. Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said 300 air conditioners were being delivered to Kumamoto, with 150 earmarked for shelters.
Yukiya Sanoue, who works at a centre hosting about 1,000 people—roughly 30% of them seniors—told the BBC that electricity and water stopped after the quake. Air conditioning only returned Wednesday afternoon with a generator. Several people with heatstroke-like symptoms have been taken to hospital.
What went wrong at the Aeon mall and the paper factory?
One of the worst-hit sites is Kashima's Aeon shopping centre, where part of the second floor collapsed. An explosion rocked the mall about an hour later. Aeon's president said it was "very likely" a gas blast, though the cause remains under investigation.
The complex had reopened only last month after a rebuild meant to withstand earthquakes, following severe damage in the April 2016 Kumamoto quakes that killed hundreds in the region. Reinforcement work strengthened ceilings and relocated fixtures, yet the mall was hit again—raising hard questions for disaster-resistant design covered in our Future Tech & AI Wonders hub.
Rescuers are also combing a Nippon Paper factory in Yatsushiro, where at least five people died after a partial collapse. Eleven people were trapped; seven have been rescued so far, the company said Wednesday.
A cat cafe inside the Aeon mall said all 25 cats left behind during the chaos were safely rescued. Local restaurant owner Hiroko Ogata, 75, said she hid under a table as the building swayed: "I thought I would die."