Death Toll from Japan Earthquake Rises to 23 as Critical 72-Hour Rescue Window Closes

Residents of Japan’s southwestern Kumamoto prefecture were struggling to return to normalcy on Thursday, two days after a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake triggered an explosion at a shopping mall, toppled a factory chimney, and flattened homes, killing at least 23 people. Search and rescue efforts continue, but time is running out.

The quake struck on Tuesday afternoon, leaving at least 63 people injured, five of them seriously, according to Kumamoto prefectural officials. The number of missing remains unclear.

Survivors described desperately pulling family members from the wreckage after returning home. Some injured were rushed to hospitals. Thousands spent another night in evacuation centers set up in gymnasiums and other large spaces. Many homes still lack water or electricity, and some residents are too afraid to go back.

The worst damage occurred at the Aeon Mall in Kashima town, bustling with thousands when the quake hit late Tuesday. The company said about 3,000 customers were evacuated to a parking lot before an explosion in another part of the mall. The second floor collapsed, trapping people under rubble. As of early Thursday, six of 11 people pulled from the debris had died, according to officials. Family members of the missing wandered helplessly near the wrecked mall.

In the Yatsushiro area, a chimney collapsed at a Nippon Paper Industries factory, killing eight people, while 10 were rescued and one remains missing. Nearly 23,000 homes are still without power, and over 10,000 people are staying in about 400 shelters, where additional power sources are being installed for air conditioning as a heatwave grips parts of the country.

Japan has strict building codes due to frequent earthquakes, but many older-style wooden homes in the area are relatively fragile.