Overview
- A shallow magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday, July 28, producing maximum shaking in several towns and causing widespread building and infrastructure damage.
- Rescuers concluded a five-day operation at the collapsed Aeon Mall in Kashima after accounting for all those reported missing there and recovering five survivors and seven bodies.
- The prefectural death toll has risen to 38, which includes at least one probable heat-related fatality found in a car and other deaths still under investigation.
- Investigations are focused on a suspected gas-driven explosion at the Aeon Mall and on reports that a local store operator told two employees to re-enter the building to secure cash, while a collapsed smokestack at a Nippon Paper plant killed multiple workers.
- Relief work has moved to debris clearance, structural inspections and secondary evacuations as record heat—above 40°C in parts of the prefecture—plus water and fuel shortages force officials to arrange hotel placements, deliver water and cooling equipment, and prepare temporary housing.