Up to 23 feared dead in Japan quake; bodies pulled from mall wreckage

Rescue workers continued their desperate search for survivors on Thursday after a powerful earthquake struck Japan's southern Kumamoto prefecture, with fears growing that up to 23 people may have died. The 7.1-magnitude tremor, which hit on Tuesday, caused widespread devastation across the island of Kyushu.

At the Aeon shopping mall in Kashima, a suspected gas explosion following the earthquake gutted the building. "We have pulled out 10 people. Of them, four were confirmed dead. Another is without vital signs. Another five have suffered severe and minor injuries," an official from Kumamoto's disaster management office told AFP. Hundreds of rescue workers are sifting through the tangled wreckage of twisted steel and debris.

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we have pulled out 10 people. Of them, four were confirmed dead. Another is without vital signs. Another five have suffered severe and minor injuries

The earthquake flattened homes, damaged bridges, and sparked fires. Tens of thousands of residents were left without power and water. A heatstroke warning was issued as temperatures were forecast to reach at least 35°C (95°F). The disaster management office's latest tally reported 17 fatalities and six people without vital signs, with five more in critical condition.

In Yatsushiro city, part of a smokestack at the Nippon Paper Industries factory collapsed, killing five people and leaving four unaccounted for. The quake, measured at 6.8 by the US Geological Survey, has been followed by a string of aftershocks, further unsettling residents.

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