Kumamoto earthquake deaths rise as rescuers search mall and factory
At least 18 people are dead after a 7.1 quake in Kumamoto, with searches under way at an Aeon Mall and a paper factory.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
3 min read
Kumamoto earthquake deaths climbed to at least 18 Wednesday as soldiers and emergency crews searched a wrecked shopping mall, collapsed homes and a damaged paper factory in southwestern Japan, officials said.
The magnitude 7.1 quake struck the Kumamoto area of Kyushu a day earlier, injuring at least 62 people, including six seriously, according to the Kumamoto prefectural government. Officials said the casualty count had been rising, and the number of people still missing was not clear.
Rescue work was slowed by oppressive heat, raising concern for people trapped in debris and for evacuees forced from their homes. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said there were still people waiting to be rescued and called the search “a race against time.”
How many people died in the Kumamoto earthquake?
At least 18 people were confirmed dead after the quake, according to officials cited in the rescue update. The prefectural government also reported at least 62 injuries, six of them serious, while searches continued at several damaged sites.
One of the hardest-hit places was Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima city, where thousands of shoppers were inside when the earthquake struck. Aeon Mall said about 3,000 customers were moved to a parking lot before a gas explosion occurred in another section of the mall, where some people were still working.
The blast was followed by a second-floor collapse that trapped people inside, according to reports from the scene. Witnesses said the explosion shook the area with force comparable to the earthquake.
Aeon Mall president Akio Yoshida told reporters Wednesday that three people remained missing at the site, all of them employees who had been working when the explosion occurred. He said three people were confirmed dead in the blast, and apologized alongside other executives, saying the company took the loss of life seriously.
Japanese media showed video from inside the damaged mall, where part of a ceiling had fallen and metal debris was scattered across the building. Rescue workers wearing helmets and masks searched through the wreckage.
What happened at the paper factory?
At a Nippon Paper Industries factory near Yatsushiro, a collapsed chimney killed five people, the Kumamoto prefectural government disaster team said. Seven people were pulled from the debris, while four others were still believed to be trapped, officials said.
Damage spread beyond the two major rescue sites. Police aerial footage showed residential areas where some houses had been flattened, including homes that crumbled into a nearby river.
Kumamoto officials said nearly 34,900 homes remained without electricity and about 15,000 had no running water. More than 8,800 people were staying in over 400 shelters, where officials were adding power sources so evacuation centers could run air conditioning.
Japan’s Self-Defense Forces joined rescue workers on the ground, with hundreds of professionals involved in the response. Firefighters from Taiwan were also helping, according to the rescue update.
Takaichi said the national government was preparing to send food and other necessities into the worst-hit areas. She also offered condolences to victims and sympathy to their families, while urging people affected by the quake to protect themselves in the heat.
Transport was still disrupted Wednesday. Bullet train services remained suspended, while Aso Kumamoto Airport resumed operations, though some airlines canceled flights as a precaution.
Kumamoto was previously struck by a deadly earthquake in 2016 that killed at least 50 people. Japan is among the world’s most earthquake-prone countries.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.