Kumamoto earthquake: rescuers race to find survivors as heat risk grows

Rescuers in Kumamoto kept searching collapsed sites as thousands remained in shelters, cars and tents. Heat, shortages and repeated aftershocks deepened fears for survivors already rattled by the quake.Rural communities in southwestern Japan were struggling to return to normal on Thursday, two days after a powerful earthquake killed at least 25 people, injured dozens and caused major damage to homes, a shopping centre and a factory. Rescuers continued searching for survivors in the Kumamoto area on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu after the magnitude 7.1 quake struck on Tuesday.Time was running out to find survivors, while thousands of residents spent another night in evacuation centres or in their vehicles. Some homes were still without water or electricity, and many people were too afraid to return because of aftershocks and the risk of further damage.The Kumamoto prefectural government said 25 deaths had been confirmed as related to the disaster, while nine more were under investigation as likely to be connected. At least 86 people were injured, including five seriously. The number of missing people was unclear.Nearly 19,000 homes were still without electricity, and more than 9,000 people were staying in around 400 shelters, where additional power sources were being installed to provide air conditioning. Officials were increasingly worried about illness in the sweltering heat. The Ministry of Environment issued a heatstroke alert for the Kumamoto area, where temperatures were expected to reach 33 degrees Celsius on Thursday. In Hikawa, one of the worst-hit towns in Kumamoto, many residents remained without water, electricity or both, and some were staying in cars parked in parks or at the town hall. At the entrance to the town hall, officials distributed bottled water and packets of instant rice, while Ground Self-Defence Force personnel brought fresh water on a trolley.Yoshiaki Nakashima, a 66-year-old resident who arrived with two bottles and his pet dog to collect water, said he was staying in a car because he did not want to go to one of the three evacuation centres in the area. He said he also did not want to sleep at home because the aftershocks made him uneasy. “It’s difficult to turn over while sleeping in a car,” he said, but added that living at a shelter was even more difficult. Another resident, Akiko Inazaki, who is in her 30s, said she was living in a tent in the yard of her home, which had been without water and electricity since the quake. She said she would use the water she collected little by little. “Fresh water is so valuable,” she said, adding that she had drunk so little that she almost suffered heatstroke.Officials said the risk of heatstroke was a major concern. Yutaka Kobayashi, a doctor sent from Aichi prefecture in central Japan, said he was visiting evacuation centres on Thursday to assess the condition of evacuees, especially elderly people and those with injuries. “We have to make sure elderly people are not developing heat strokes or dehydration,” he said in Hikawa. Hikawa officials said the town hall car park had been almost full on the first night, but some residents had since moved to three public schools where air conditioning was available. A town official, Yuzuru Tamura, said emergency food supplies such as canned bread and instant rice were starting to run low.The worst damage was reported at the Aeon Mall in the town of Kashima, which had been crowded with thousands of people when the quake struck late in the afternoon. The company said around 3,000 customers were evacuated to a car park before an explosion took place in another part of the mall, where some people were still working. The second floor of the mall collapsed, trapping people. As of early Thursday, six people had been confirmed dead at the site among 11 pulled from the wreckage, according to Kumamoto authorities.In the Yatsushiro area, where a chimney collapsed at a Nippon Paper Industries factory, 10 people were rescued, but eight died and one person remained missing, according to the Kumamoto prefectural government’s disaster team. Footage released by the Japanese government and military showed rescue workers drilling through collapsed sections of the building in an effort to reach anyone still trapped inside.Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the central government would take the lead in coordinating rescue work. She said restoring electricity, gas and water to affected areas, while ensuring the supply of fresh water, was essential. “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,” she said. With rescue efforts continuing, many residents across Kumamoto were still coping with damaged homes, shortages of basic supplies and fears over the heat and aftershocks.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Jul 30, 2026 17:52 IST