World·NewThe death toll from a powerful earthquake in southwestern Japan rose to 34, the Kumamoto prefectural government said Friday, as rescuers raced in last-ditch efforts to find survivors after the quake triggered a mall explosion, toppled a factory chimney, and flattened homes across the region.Thousands still without water and power amid stifling heatThe Associated Press · Posted: Jul 31, 2026 7:21 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Search efforts continue on Friday at the site of the collapsed Aeon shopping mall in the town of Kashima, in southwestern Japan, in the aftermath of this week's earthquake. Seven people were confirmed dead there, and 11 had been rescued, officials said. (Kyodo News/Getty Images)The death toll from a powerful earthquake in southwestern Japan rose to 34, the Kumamoto prefectural government said Friday, as rescuers raced in last-ditch efforts to find survivors after the quake triggered a mall explosion, toppled a factory chimney, and flattened homes across the region. The disaster left thousands of households without electricity and tens of thousands without tap water. Thousands of residents remained in shelters or their vehicles, leaving medical workers concerned about heat-related illnesses as the region endured punishing summer temperatures. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Japan's southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday.As search operations entered a fourth day, it wasn't known how many people remained missing and the scale of the damage to homes across the region was still unclear. Officials said 34 quake-related deaths had been confirmed, with one more death still under investigation. Dozens of people were injured.More than 79,000 homes were without water and over 2,700 without electricity as of Friday afternoon. Authorities said more than 9,000 people were staying in shelters, where power sources were being added to provide air conditioning.Fuel has also become scarce as power outages disabled gas stations and quake damage disrupted deliveries from other regions. Many have resorted to sleeping in their cars, but with the fuel shortage, they struggle to keep the air conditioning running in sweltering temperatures. Temperatures on Friday were due to rise to 36 C in Kumamoto city, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, after stifling 35 C heat on Thursday.Japan's PM says rescuers in 'race against time' after powerful earthquakeVideoEarthquake shakes Japan, some victims trapped in collapsed mallJapanese officials say Friday afternoon is a crucial point for rescue efforts as some experts say survival chances decline after the first three days.Searchers continued to work in the Kumamoto area, including at the site of the collapsed Aeon shopping mall in the town of Kashima, where some of the most serious damage was recorded. The complex was bustling with thousands of people when the quake happened. People sleep in their vehicle at the parking lot of the Ogawa Disaster Prevention Center in Uki, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. (JIJI Press/AFP/Getty Images)The company said about 3,000 shoppers were evacuated to a parking lot before an explosion happened in another part of the mall, where some staff remained working. The mall's second floor collapsed, trapping people.At the site, seven people were confirmed dead and 11 had been rescued, Japanese Chief Cabinet Sec Minoru Kihara told reporters in Tokyo on Friday. Authorities didn't say how many were still missing. Meanwhile, a search operation had ended at a Nippon Paper Industries factory in the Yatsushiro area where a chimney collapsed, Kihara said. Searchers rescued 11 people there, while nine others were confirmed dead. Smaller-scale searches continued Friday at the sites of collapsed houses in badly hit towns in southern Kumamoto. Authorities haven't supplied a firm figure for how many people are missing.Residents receive water supplies at Hikawa town hall, Kumamoto Prefecture. More than 79,000 homes were without water, as of Friday afternoon. (Atsuhiro Maeda/Kyodo News/The Associated Press)