Rescue teams in Japan continued combing through the wreckage of a collapsed shopping mall on Thursday, as the death toll from Tuesday’s 7.1-magnitude earthquake climbed to 34 amid a punishing heatwave that has left tens of thousands without electricity.
Authorities in Kumamoto said seven bodies had been pulled from the ruins of the Aeon mall, which was destroyed in what is believed to have been a gas explosion following the quake. Eight more people were confirmed dead at a Nippon Paper Industries plant in Yatsushiro, where a section of a large smokestack came down.
Five people remain in critical condition. Nearly 9,500 residents across the affected region of Kyushu are sheltering in evacuation centres after the quake flattened houses, damaged bridges, sparked fires, and knocked out power and water to large numbers of homes. Forecasters expect temperatures to reach 38C over the weekend, compounding conditions for displaced residents. As of Thursday, 13,520 households were still without power.
In Uki city, elderly evacuees — in a country with the world’s second-highest proportion of older citizens — spent the night on thin mats on a community centre floor, seeking relief from the heat. One woman told AFP she was grateful for the shelter, saying conditions at home were unbearable due to heat and insects. A 53-year-old supermarket worker and father of four said the lack of power and air conditioning made the heat especially difficult to endure.
