Searches Continue in Kumamoto as 72-Hour Window Nears End

Kumamoto, July 31 (Jiji Press)–Searches for those still missing after Tuesday’s major earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, continued in extreme heat Friday as the 72-hour window crucial for survival was nearing an end. The death toll from the quake, which recorded a seismic intensity of up to 7, highest on the Japanese scale, reached 35, including a case being investigated for a suspected link to the disaster, according to the prefecture’s disaster response headquarters. At the Aeon Mall Kumamoto shopping facility, hit by an explosion just after the temblor, 12 people were rescued with seven of them later confirmed dead. Police, Self-Defense Forces personnel and firefighters worked to remove debris at the mall in the town of Kashima, looking for anyone who might still be trapped. The headquarters confirmed the identities of 27 victims–20 in their 30s to 90s in the city of Yatsushiro, four in their 50s to 90s in the town of Hikawa, two in their 60s to 70s in the city of Uki and one in his 20s in the town of Kosa. Authorities were working to identify the seven who died at the shopping mall. A total of 9,105 people were staying at 390 evacuation shelters as of 7:30 a.m. Friday. Many others were using their cars as shelters. With temperatures topping 35 degrees Celsius in many affected areas, the prefectural government was urging people to protect themselves from heat stroke and the economy-class syndrome by taking precautions like drinking fluid frequently. Electricity supply is expected to resume as early as Friday evening in most of the areas suffering power outages. Water supply remained disrupted at 79,100 households. Kyushu Railway Co., or JR Kyushu, resumed the operations of the Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train line with a reduced number of trains between Hakata Station in Fukuoka Prefecture and Kumamoto Station Friday morning. The quake struck around 4:27 p.m. Tuesday, recording an intensity of up to 7 in Uki and Hikawa and up to upper 6 in Yatsushiro, Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture’s namesake capital and elsewhere. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]