Rescue workers conduct a search operation at the damaged Aeon Mall shopping centre after an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan's southern Kumamoto Prefecture, in Kashima Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, on July 30. [Photo/Agencies]
Emergency workers combed through collapsed houses looking for survivors after a powerful earthquake that killed 14 people in Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyodo News reported on Wednesday.
Different media outlets reported different death tolls. The Associated Press reported that the death toll has risen to at least 18. According to public broadcaster NHK, prefectural officials said 62 people have been injured.
The magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto on Tuesday. It was followed by over 190 aftershocks. One day after the powerful quake, the prefecture experienced a preliminary magnitude 5.8 earthquake, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed on Wednesday that the earthquake and the resulting fires had severely affected infrastructure, causing multiple building collapses and road damage.
