Japan Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 28 Amid Ongoing Rescue Efforts

The death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck southwestern Japan has risen to 28, the Japanese government announced Thursday. Authorities are still investigating whether some of the reported deaths are directly linked to the seismic event.

Hundreds of rescue workers continue their search for survivors amidst the rubble of a shopping center in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake, which struck Tuesday afternoon, caused extensive damage across Kyushu island. Homes were destroyed, bridges damaged, and fires broke out in the wake of the tremor.

Tens of thousands of residents were left without electricity and water. The region has been hit by numerous aftershocks since the initial quake, adding to the distress of residents enduring stifling summer temperatures expected to reach at least 35 degrees Celsius.

The shopping center in Kumamoto had been evacuated after the earthquake, but approximately 50 minutes later, it was devastated by a massive explosion while an unknown number of employees were still inside. An eyewitness described seeing a movie at the center just a week prior, expressing a sense of narrowly escaping danger.

Further complicating the situation, five deaths and four disappearances were confirmed at a Nippon Paper Industries plant in Yatsushiro city, where part of a chimney collapsed. As of Wednesday afternoon, around 31,200 households remained without power, and 84,000 homes experienced water supply disruptions. The USGS measured the earthquake's magnitude at 6.8, slightly lower than Japan's 7.1 assessment. Kumamoto Prefecture was also struck by devastating earthquakes in 2016 that claimed 273 lives.

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I was here just recently. It's like I narrowly escaped danger.