Overview:
Death toll from Japan’s powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake has climbed to 23 as rescue crews continue searching through collapsed buildings amid more than 100 aftershocks in Kumamoto Prefecture. Thousands remain in evacuation centers while authorities rush relief supplies and warn residents to remain alert for further tremors and extreme heat.
By North Asia correspondent Natalie Whiting and Akane Saiki in Kumamoto
In short:
(ABC-Australia) At least 23 people have died following the earthquake, according to the Kumamoto prefectural government, with local authorities reporting several others are in a critical condition.
More than 100 aftershocks have been detected in the region since the 7.1-magnitude quake struck.
What’s next?
Relief supplies and hundreds of air conditioners are being sent to evacuation centres in the region.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-30/rescuers-race-to-free-trapped-earthquake-victims/106974060
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Emergency workers and soldiers in Japan are continuing to trawl through debris in the race to find trapped survivors as tremors and aftershocks continue to rattle the country.
Earthquake warning alarms sounded on phones in the Kumamoto region again on Wednesday night, local time, when a 5.8-magnitude quake hit.
More than 100 aftershocks have been detected since the magnitude-7.1 earthquake hit the southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday.
At least 23 people have died, according to the Kumamoto prefectural government.
Shopping centre still worst affected area
Emergency services have been sifting through the remains of the second floor of a shopping centre in Kashima after an explosion collapsed walls and trapped people on Tuesday night.
The company that owns the Aeon Mall said about 3,000 customers were evacuated to a parking lot after the quake struck, before an explosion occurred elsewhere in the complex.
At least three people were killed when a floor collapsed, a fourth went into cardiac arrest, and three others are still unaccounted-for, according to management.
Several members of Katsura Kaori’s extended family were in the shopping centre when the earthquake hit, and they praised staff who “guided everyone out smoothly”.
But it is believed some people went back in before the explosion tore through the centre.
“Some explosive debris actually flew into the parking lot,” Ms Katsura told the ABC.
She said a young man in her neighbourhood has not been able to contact his mother, who works at the centre.
The cause of the explosion is still being investigated, but a gas leak is suspected.
When asked about that in a press conference, the company’s president, Yoshida Akio, said he could not make a “definitive statement at this stage”.
But authorities have since urged others in the region to check gas lines.
“We take it seriously that an explosion happened and precious lives were lost,” he said.
A truck that was driving past was also significantly damaged by flying debris.
Uesugi Masahiro from Fukuyama Transporting returned to the site on Wednesday to have the vehicle towed away.
He said the driver had been injured in the incident.
“He called an ambulance, but they said they couldn’t come immediately,” he explained.
“There just happened to be a nice person in the neighbourhood, and he took him to the hospital.”
Region on edge about aftershocks
The Aeon Mall had only recently re-opened after it was badly damaged in a major earthquake in 2016 that killed more than 270 people and injured nearly 3,000.
Ms Katsura said the memory of those quakes 10 years ago was difficult for people.
“Everyone’s extremely on edge about aftershocks,” she said.
At least two people were killed when the earthquake also brought down a smokestack at a paper mill.
Homes, roads and shrines across the region have also been destroyed.
In the Nuyamazu district, a pair of temple gates at a 16th-century Buddhist temple collapsed, which had only been repaired five years ago.
More than 9,000 people have sought shelter at evacuation centres.
Emergency relief and supplies begin to arrive
Five ships from Japan’s navy equivalent are bringing in relief supplies, and 300 air conditioners have been flown in for use at the centres.
The area is in the midst of a heatwave, with temperatures tipped to hit 40 degrees Celsius in the coming days.
It has raised concerns about the impact on possible trapped survivors and on rescuers.
“Everyone in the disaster areas, those who have evacuated, and especially those involved in recovery and emergency response efforts, please be mindful of your health to prevent heat stroke and similar risks,” Japan’s meteorological agency said.
Bullet train services remain suspended.
While operations at Aso Kumamoto Airport resumed on Wednesday, some airlines cancelled flights as a precaution.
