Japan earthquake death toll reaches 35 as rescue efforts continue

The death toll from the earthquake in Japan's Kumamoto prefecture has risen to 35, local officials said Friday, as rescue teams continue searching damaged areas for survivors. Authorities warned that the final number of casualties may increase as operations continue ahead of the crucial 72-hour rescue window.

Severe damage across Kyushu

The powerful quake struck southwestern Japan's Kyushu Island on Tuesday, with the Japan Meteorological Agency recording a magnitude of 7.1. Other monitoring agencies, including the US Geological Survey, measured the earthquake at magnitude 6.8. The tremor reached the highest level on Japan's seismic intensity scale and struck at a depth of about 10 kilometers near Uto in Kumamoto Prefecture.

Hundreds of aftershocks have been reported since the main earthquake, affecting rescue efforts and raising concerns over further collapses. In Hikawa Town, more than 120 homes and buildings were completely destroyed, leaving residents facing major disruption.

Rescue operations continue

Emergency teams are still working at heavily damaged locations, including the Aeon Mall Kumamoto shopping center in Kashima Town. The facility suffered major destruction following an explosion believed to have been linked to a gas leak shortly after the earthquake.

Seven people rescued from the site later died, while five others were injured. Investigators have not yet determined the exact cause of the explosion.

Japan's earthquake risks

Another major rescue operation was carried out at a Nippon Paper Industries facility in Yatsushiro City, where a collapsed smokestack trapped workers. Eleven people were recovered from the site, but nine of them died.

Japan is among the world's most earthquake-prone countries, located along the Pacific "Ring of Fire." The country experiences a significant share of global seismic activity, including around one-fifth of earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.0 or higher.