Death Toll from Southwestern Japan Quake Climbs to 34 as Rescuers Search Damaged Mall

Rescuers continued their grim search Friday in southwestern Japan, where a powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake has claimed 34 lives and left dozens injured. The disaster, which struck the southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday, has displaced over 9,000 people who are now sheltering, with growing concerns about illness exacerbated by sweltering heat. Temperatures in Kumamoto city were expected to reach 36 C (97 F) on Friday, adding urgency to efforts to provide air conditioning in shelters.

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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 earthquake caused extensive damage, toppling homes and causing an explosion at the Aeon Mall shopping center in Kashima. The mall, crowded with thousands of shoppers when the quake hit, saw its second floor collapse, trapping people. Seven deaths were confirmed at the mall site, where 11 people were rescued. Search operations also concluded at a Nippon Paper Industries factory, where nine people died and 11 were rescued after a chimney collapsed.

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Searchers continued to work in the Kumamoto area on Friday, including at the site of the collapsed Aeon Mall shopping center in the town of Kashima, where some of the most serious damage was recorded.

Kyushu Electric Power Co. reported that over 9,000 homes remained without electricity. Authorities are working to add power sources to shelters to combat the heat, as the disaster's impact extends beyond immediate structural damage to public health concerns.

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The complex was bustling with thousands of people when the quake happened.