Japan earthquake death toll rises to 34 as search operations continue

Survivors spent Friday in crowded shelters or sleeping in cars as over 79,000 homes remain without water

Rescuers are searching for survivors after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck southern Japan, killing at least 34 people and causing widespread damage. DW has more.

The earthquake struck Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday with a magnitude of 7.1.

KUMAMOTO, Japan, July 31 (Reuters) - The death toll from a powerful earthquake that hit southwestern Japan earlier this week rose to 34 on Friday from 25 previously, the Kumamoto prefecture government said in a statement.

The death toll from a landslide in Chongqing province, southwest China, earlier this month rose to 51, with 10 people still missing, local authorities said late on Thursday night. The landslide, which occurred two weeks ago in Pengshui county, swept away several residential buildings at the foot of a mountain along a r

Nearly half of those killed were caught up in two major incidents: Nippon Paper Industries' paper mill, which suffered major structural damage, and Aeon's shopping mall, where a possible gas explosion occurred

Death toll from Japan earthquake rises to 34  Reuters

The death toll from landslides that impacted southwestern China earlier this month has climbed to 51, as rescue teams have ended land operations.

Thousands of people spent another night at evacuation centers set up throughout the area in gymnasiums and other big spaces. Some homes were still without water or electricity.

Authorities revised up the death toll from a powerful 7.0 magnitude quake in Kumamoto prefecture in southwestern Japan to 34, with another 89 injured.

Rescue crews were working to find people who might still be trapped in a collapsed shopping mall, as the region faced sweltering heat.

Almost no other country in the world is rocked by such frequent and damaging earthquakes as Japan – an island nation that sits on the boundary of four tectonic plates, the constantly-shifting slabs of the Earth’s crust. It also lies on the “Ring of Fire,” a 25,000-mile arc that stretches around the Pacific, where the …

Rescue efforts are continuing as time runs down on the critical 72 hour window for rescues following the quake. Officials have not detailed how many people were reported missing but local media say dozens remain unaccounted for.

Hundreds of rescue workers were battling for another day to reach possible survivors in the remains of the Aeon shopping mall in Kashima in the Kumamoto region.

Southwestern Japan suffered an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 on Tuesday, causing at least 18 fatalities and 62 injuries.

TOUGH CONDITIONS: More than 8,800 residents sought refuge as utilities failed and crews, including some from Taiwan, helped searched for survivors AP and Reuters, KUMAMOTO and YATSUSHIRO, Japan Add TT as Preferred Source Soldiers and emergency workers yesterday combed through a badly damaged shopping mall and collapsed

Some of the most serious damage was at the Aeon Mall in the city of Kashima.

Soldiers and emergency workers combed through a badly damaged shopping mall and collapsed houses looking for trapped survivors Wednesday after a powerful earthquake that killed at least 13 people.

Soldiers and emergency workers are combing through a badly damaged shopping mall and collapsed houses looking for trapped survivors after a powerful earthquake that killed at least 13 people in southwestern Japan

1 min readJul 29, 2026 08:08 AM IST Person on a bike passes by collapsed houses, a day after an earthquake in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture (Photo/AP) Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that 13 people were confirmed dead after a powerful earthquake struck the southern Japanese city of Kumamoto. “There are pe

Death toll rises to 13 as rescuers search for the missing after Japan earthquake  Toronto Star

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said 13 people have been found dead after a powerful quake shook part of southwestern Japan

Death toll rises to 13 as rescuers search for the missing after Japan earthquake  AP News

Military mobilises thousands of personnel after quake on southern Kyushu island that registered a maximum 7 on the Japanese shindo intensity scale At least five people have been killed, and nine are missing after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Japan on Tuesday, injuring hundreds and knocking out power and