July 30, 2026 / 8:18 AM EDT
/ CBS/AP
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The death toll has grown to at least 25 people in southwestern Japan after a powerful earthquake on Tuesday destroyed homes, triggered an explosion at a mall and caused a factory chimney to collapse. Two days later, hopes waned that anyone else would be rescued. The prefectural government of Kumamoto, on Japan's southern main island of Kyushu, where the quake struck, said 25 deaths have been confirmed as connected to the disaster as of Thursday. But nine more were likely connected, the government said, adding those suspected deaths were under investigation.Although rescuers continued their search on Thursday to find additional survivors, time was running out, and fears remained the death toll would rise higher after nearly doubling from Wednesday's figure. Measured as a magnitude 6.8 by the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake also left 86 people injured, five of them seriously, the Kumamoto government said. How many people were still missing was unclear.Survivors spoke about coming home and desperately pulling family members out of the wreckage. Some had suffered injuries and were rushed to the hospital.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, while others were simply afraid to go back. Nearly 19,000 homes were still without electricity and more than 9,000 people were staying in the roughly 400 shelters, where power sources were being added to provide air conditioning.Concerns were growing about illness, including from the sweltering heat. The Ministry of Environment sent out a heatstroke alert for the Kumamoto area, with temperatures expected to reach as high 91 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday.
