Kumamoto quake death toll rises to 34 as rescuers race against clock

JAPAN

Kumamoto quake death toll rises to 34 as rescuers race against clock

Evacuees rest inside a gymnasium at a community center, which is serving as an evacuation shelter, in the city of Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Thursday following Tuesday's magnitude 7.1 earthquake. | REUTERS

By Kanako Takahara, Kenji Yoshida and Jessica Speed
STAFF WRITERS

Jul 30, 2026

The death toll for a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday has risen to 34, including those authorities are still working to confirm are quake related, as rescuers raced against the clock to find survivors before the crucial 72-hour mark.

At least seven of the deaths were caused by an explosion that brought down a major shopping mall in the town of Kashima, while another eight died at a Nippon Paper Industries’ mill in the city of Yatsushiro, the Kumamoto Prefectural Government said on Thursday evening.

An explosion ripped through Aeon Mall — which hosts some 200 stores — about 80 minutes after the quake, causing part of the second floor to collapse and trapping workers inside. Aeon President Akio Yoshida did not rule out a gas leak as the cause of the blast at a news conference on Wednesday, during which he apologized to the public over the accident.