Earthquake survivors battle sweltering heat in shelters as death toll rises

Japan earthquake survivors battle heat stroke in sweltering conditions as death toll rises Fri 31 Jul 2026 at 5:17am In short: Rescuers are continuing to search for survivors in the south-western region of Japan following a 7.1-magnitude earthquake. Authorities have confirmed at least 34 people have died. What's next? With temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, heat stroke is becoming a concern for the thousands of people seeking shelter in evacuation centres. The death toll from a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Japan has reached 34, with 9,000 people displaced across the south-western region. Rescuers continued the search for survivors on Thursday, local time, in the Kumamoto area on Japan's southern main island of Kyushu, where the quake hit on Tuesday. The Kumamoto prefectural government's latest death toll sits at 34 confirmed deaths related to the disaster, with five people in a critical condition and at least 86 injured. Loading...The number of missing people remains unclear. Survivors spoke about coming home and desperately pulling out family members from debris after the tremor. Meanwhile, nearly 19,000 homes were still without electricity, and more than 9,000 people were staying in the roughly 400 shelters, where power sources are being added to provide air conditioning. The Ministry of Environment issued a heat stroke alert for the Kumamoto area, with temperatures expected to reach 33 degrees Celsius on Thursday. Emergency personnel search for missing people Thousands were inside the Aeon shopping centre in the town of Kashima when the earthquake struck in the late afternoon, which caused an explosion in the mall from a suspected gas blast. The second floor of the building collapsed, trapping multiple people. Aeon said about 3,000 customers were evacuated to a parking lot before the explosion happened. The shopping centre is one of the worst-damaged structures in the area, alongside a toppled industrial factory chimney. Seven people were confirmed to have died at the mall site, among the 11 people pulled out of the wreckage, according to Kumamoto authorities. Eight people were also confirmed dead at the Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro city, where part of a smokestack collapsed, according to the company. A total of 25 cats from a "cat cafe" in the area were rescued. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the central government will take a lead role in coordinating the various rescue efforts, focusing on restoring electricity, gas and water to stricken areas, while supplying fresh water. "The needs on the ground are constantly changing. To put to rest the people's feelings of uncertainty, we will do all that needs to be done." Some evacuees sleep in cars In the town of Hikawa, one of the hardest-hit areas in Kumamoto, residents have turned to their cars as temporary accommodation. At the front entrance of the area's town hall, officials delivered bottled water and packaged instant rice. Yoshiaki Nakashima, a 66-year-old resident who came with two bottles and his dog to get water, said he is staying in a car because of his reluctance to stay at one of the three evacuation centres in the area. Mr Nakashima said he did not want to sleep at home because the aftershocks made him feel uneasy. "It's difficult to turn over while sleeping in a car," Mr Nakashima said, but that living at a shelter is even more difficult. Heat stroke a major concern Yutaka Kobayashi, a doctor dispatched from central Japan's Aichi prefecture, said he was touring evacuation centres to assess the condition of evacuees, especially elderly people and those with injuries as they cope with a harsh environment. "We have to make sure elderly people are not developing heat strokes or dehydration," Dr Kobayashi said. While the town parking lot was nearly packed the first night, some residents have moved to three public schools where air-conditioning is running, Hikawa officials said. Footage from local media outlets showed people queuing for petrol and drinking water. Authorities have sent hundreds of air conditioning units to shelters. A town official, Yuzuru Tamura, said emergency food supplies were beginning to run short. AP / AFP