Death toll from Japan earthquake rises to 34 as hope for more rescues dwindles

The death toll rose to at least 34 people in southwestern Japan afterward strong earthquakes On Tuesday, according to the government of Kumamoto prefecture, on the main Japanese island of Kyushu, where the earthquake struck.

The disaster destroyed homes, caused an explosion in a shopping center and collapsed a factory chimney. After two days, they lost hope that anyone else would be saved.

Although the rescuers continued their operation on Thursday to find more survivors, time was running out, and the fear is still rising, the number of dead will rise after almost doubling the number of Wednesday. The earthquake measured as 6.8 magnitude by the US Geological Survey, the earthquake also left 86 people injured, five of them seriously, said the government of Kumamoto. It was not clear how many people were still missing.

Survivors talked about coming home and pulling family members out of the disaster. Others were injured and taken to the hospital.

Thousands of people spent the night in evacuation centers set up around gyms and other large venues. Some homes were still without water and electricity, while others were afraid to go back.

About 19,000 homes still had electricity and more than 9,000 people were living in about 400 shelters, where power sources were installed to provide ventilation.

There was a growing concern about illness, including hot flashes. The Department of Natural Resources has issued a heat warning for the Kumamoto area, with temperatures expected to reach 91 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday.

In the city of Hikawa, one of the hardest hit areas in Kumamoto, many residents are without water or electricity, or both, and some are living inside their cars in parks or in the parking lot of the city hall.

In front of the city hall, officials brought bottled water and rice, while Ground Self-Defense Force volunteers brought a trolley to provide clean water.

Yoshiaki Nakashima, a 66-year-old resident who brought two bottles with his beloved dog to fetch water, said he lives in a car because he doesn’t want to stay in one of the three evacuation centers in the area. He also said that he does not want to sleep at home because the earthquake that happened after this makes him uncomfortable.

“It’s hard to turn around sleeping in a car,” he says, but living in a shelter is even harder.

Akiko Inazaki, another 30-year-old resident, lives in a tent pitched in the yard of her home, which has been without water and electricity since the earthquake. Nazaki, who also came to fetch water, said he would use it little by little.

“Clean water is very precious,” he said. Inazaki said that he was drinking so little that he almost suffered from heatstroke.

Heatstroke accidents are a major problem among adults.

Yutaka Kobayashi, a doctor sent to the center of Aichi prefecture in Japan, said he visited the evacuation centers on Thursday to check on the condition of the refugees, especially the elderly and those injured as they are facing a difficult situation.

“We have to make sure that elderly people don’t get heatstroke or dehydration,” Hikawa said.

While the city’s parking lot was nearly full the first night, some residents moved to the three public schools where ventilation is working, Hikawa officials said.

The city’s chief, Yuzuru Tamura, said they were running out of emergency food, such as canned bread and rice.

The worst damage was done at the Aeon Mall in Kashima city, which was crowded with thousands of people when the earthquake hit in the afternoon.

The company said 3,000 customers were evacuated to the car park before the explosion occurred in another part of the mall, where some people were still working. The second floor of the mall collapsed, trapping people.

As of early Thursday, it has been confirmed that six people died in the shopping area among the 11 people who were evacuated from the accident, according to Kumamoto authorities.

In the Yatsushiro area, where a chimney collapsed at the Nippon Paper Industries factory, 10 people were rescued, but eight others died, and one was missing, according to the disaster team of the Kumamoto government.

Images provided by the Japanese government and the military show rescue workers digging through collapsed parts of the building in an attempt to reach anyone who may still be trapped inside.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters that the central government will play a major role in coordinating various rescue efforts. Restoring electricity, gas and water to affected areas, while delivering clean water, is essential, he said.

“The existing needs are constantly changing. To eliminate people’s feelings of uncertainty, we will do everything that needs to be done,” he said.