Death toll rises to 34 in Japan earthquake

The death toll from the earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan on Tuesday has risen to 34, as rescuers pushed past the critical 72-hour mark searching for survivors in a collapsed shopping mall and a toppled factory.

The Japan Meteorological Agency put the quake at magnitude 7.1, while the U.S. Geological Survey revised its estimate down to 6.8. It hit at 4:27 p.m. local time at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, with an epicenter near Uto City. The strongest shaking — a maximum 7, the top of Japan’s seismic intensity scale — was recorded in Uki City and Hikawa.

Of the confirmed dead, at least seven were killed when an explosion tore through the Aeon Mall in Kashima Town about 80 minutes after the quake, collapsing part of the second floor. Another eight died at the Nippon Paper Industries mill in Yatsushiro, where a chimney came down. The mall had reopened only last month, rebuilt after the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake that killed more than 270 people. At least 86 people were injured, five of them seriously.

Of the 34 deaths, 25 have been confirmed as quake-related, with nine more under investigation, the Kumamoto prefectural government said. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the operation a race against time, with people still trapped in the wreckage. Roughly 300,000 residents had been told to evacuate, and thousands spent another night in gymnasiums and other shelters, some homes still without power or water.

A tsunami advisory issued for the Ariake and Yatsushiro seas after the quake was lifted within two hours. JR Kyushu suspended Shinkansen and local rail services for safety checks, and Kumamoto airport closed. Officials warned residents to brace for strong aftershocks in the days ahead.