The death toll from the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday has risen to at least 18, including five people killed in an explosion at Aeon Mall Kumamoto, with more than 60 injured and over 9,000 evacuees spending the night in shelters.
Japanese authorities have confirmed 14 deaths, with four people in cardiopulmonary arrest – a term used when death has not yet been formally certified by a doctor. Western media, including the Associated Press, have included these cases in their death toll, reporting at least 18 fatalities.
In Yatsushiro city, five workers died when a chimney at a Nippon Paper factory collapsed during the quake, with three other deaths reported in the same city. In Uki city, two deaths were directly attributed to the disaster, while a Vietnamese technical intern was killed in a construction site collapse in Kamimashiki town.
At Aeon Mall in Kashima town, the death toll from the explosion has reached five, with rescue teams using drones and heavy equipment to search for those still trapped.
A 5.8-magnitude aftershock struck the Amakusa and Ashikita regions on Wednesday night, with the Japan Meteorological Agency warning that further strong aftershocks are possible in the coming days.
The government has set up 506 evacuation centres across five prefectures, sheltering 9,186 people as of Thursday morning.
