The death toll from a powerful earthquake in southwestern Japan has risen to 18 as soldiers and emergency workers continued searching through collapsed buildings and debris for survivors, authorities said Wednesday.
The magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto region on Kyushu, Japan's southern main island, on Tuesday, leaving at least 62 people injured, including six critically, according to the prefectural government. Officials warned the number of casualties could increase as search operations continue.
Rescuers worked in sweltering heat to search damaged homes and commercial buildings, though authorities said it remained unclear how many people were still missing.
One of the hardest-hit locations was an Aeon Mall shopping centre in Kashima city, where thousands of shoppers were present when the quake struck. The company said about 3,000 customers were evacuated before a gas explosion occurred in another section of the mall. The mall's second floor collapsed, trapping several people. Aeon President Akio Yoshida said four people were confirmed dead at the site, while three others remained missing.
"We take it seriously that an explosion happened and precious lives were lost," Yoshida told a news conference. Elsewhere, a collapsed chimney at a Nippon Paper Industries factory in nearby Yatsushino killed five workers and injured others. Authorities said seven people were rescued from the debris, while four remained trapped.
In the first reported foreign fatality, a Vietnamese technical intern was killed after a crane collapsed at the factory where he worked. Seven other Vietnamese interns escaped safely, while the wife of one worker was injured when a wall fell and was receiving hospital treatment.
The earthquake also disrupted essential services, leaving nearly 34,900 households without electricity and about 15,000 without running water. More than 8,800 residents took shelter at over 400 evacuation centres, where authorities were installing additional power sources to provide air conditioning.
Japan's Self-Defense Forces joined rescue teams in the search operation, assisted by firefighters from Taiwan.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the government was making every effort to locate survivors and deliver food and other emergency supplies to the worst-hit areas.
Bullet train services remained suspended, while some flights were canceled despite the reopening of Aso Kumamoto Airport.
Kumamoto was also devastated by a major earthquake in 2016 that killed at least 50 people. Japan is among the world's most earthquake-prone countries.
