Thousands of survivors of a powerful earthquake in southwestern Japan have spent Friday in crowded shelters or slept in cars as they faced shortages of water, electricity and fuel and punishing summer temperatures that stoked fears of heat-related illness. The death toll rose to 34, the Kumamoto prefectural government said, as rescuers raced to find those still missing after the quake triggered a mall explosion, toppled a factory chimney and flattened homes. As of Friday, search operations continue, but the number of missing remains unknown. More than 79,000 homes are without water and over 800 without electricity.
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A firefighter searches the damaged AEON Mall following an explosion triggered by an earthquake in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Friday, July 31, 2026. (Kai Naito/Kyodo News via AP)
Heavy machinery removes debris at AEON Mall, which was damaged by an explosion following an earthquake, in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Friday, July 31, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)
KUMAMOTO, Japan (AP) — Residents in southwestern Japan camped in classrooms and vehicles Thursday, stocked up on water and tried to get back t…
People transport the body of a miner recovered after an explosion inside a coal mine on the outskirts of Quetta, in southwest Pakistan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fazal Tawab)
People place the body of a miner recovered after an explosion inside a coal mine, into an ambulance on the outskirts of Quetta, in southwest Pakistan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fazal Tawab)
A man comforts a miner mourning fellow miners killed in an explosion at a coal mine on the outskirts of Quetta, in southwest Pakistan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fazal Tawab)
People gather as rescue workers attempt to reach miners trapped in a coal mine on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, in southwest Pakistan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fazal Tawab)
People gather as rescue workers attempt to reach miners trapped in a coal mine on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, in southwest Pakistan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fazal Tawab)
In this aerial image taken with a drone, responders work outside AEON Mall Kumamoto after an explosion occurred following an earthquake, in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Koji Harada/Kyodo News via AP)