RismadarVoice Reporters, August 1, 2026
Authorities in Japan have ended a dayslong search-and-rescue operation at a collapsed shopping mall in Kumamoto Prefecture following the powerful earthquake that struck the country’s southwest earlier this week, killing at least 34 people.
The magnitude 7.1 earthquake, which hit Kyushu Island on Tuesday, caused widespread destruction across Kumamoto Prefecture. One of the worst-hit locations was the Aeon Mall in Kashima town, where a gas explosion triggered by the quake caused part of the building to collapse after thousands of shoppers had already been evacuated.
Rescue teams spent five days combing through the debris, successfully rescuing five people and recovering the bodies of seven others trapped inside the mall. Officials confirmed on Saturday that all those reported missing at the shopping complex had been accounted for, bringing the operation there to an end.
Despite the conclusion of the mall rescue mission, emergency responders continued search operations in other affected areas of Kumamoto Prefecture. Thousands of members of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, police officers, firefighters and rescue personnel remain deployed as authorities work to locate anyone still unaccounted for.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi urged rescue workers to continue exhaustive search efforts across the disaster zone, stressing that no victim should be left behind.
Elsewhere in the prefecture, rescue teams confirmed the deaths of nine workers trapped after a chimney collapsed at the Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro City. Two other employees were rescued alive.
Officials said the earthquake has left at least 103 people injured, while investigations are ongoing into two additional deaths that may be linked to the disaster.
The disaster has also triggered a humanitarian challenge, with nearly 70,000 households experiencing water shortages and thousands facing fuel supply disruptions amid extreme summer temperatures.
More than 9,000 residents remain in temporary shelters, including schools, community centres and public facilities, while many others continue sleeping in vehicles or outdoors due to concerns about damaged homes and limited privacy in evacuation centres.
Authorities said more than 180 homes have been destroyed, with nearly 3,500 buildings sustaining varying degrees of damage across Kumamoto Prefecture. Emergency supplies, including food, drinking water, portable toilets, air conditioners and temporary partitions, are being distributed to improve conditions for displaced residents.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency warned that temperatures in Kumamoto reached 36.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday, raising concerns over heat-related illnesses among evacuees as relief efforts continue.
