Death toll from southwestern Japan quake climbs to 34

Heavy machinery removes debris at AEON Mall, which was damaged by an explosion following an earthquake, in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Friday, July 31, 2026. Kyodo News/via AP hide caption toggle caption Kyodo News/via AP KUMAMOTO, Japan — The death toll climbed to 34 from a powerful earthquake in southwestern Japan that set off an explosion at a mall, toppled a factory chimney and flattened homes, the Kumamoto prefectural government said Friday. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Japan's southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday. As search operations entered a 4th 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 deaths had been confirmed as related to the disaster, with one more death still under investigation. Dozens of people were injured. Thousands are without water and power as heat soars More than 79,000 homes were without water and more than 3,500 without electricity on Friday. Authorities said more than 9,000 people were staying in shelters, where power sources were being added to provide air conditioning. Electric poles are seen fallen over rail tracks in Hikawa...