Japan earthquake death toll rises to 13 as rescuers search rubble

The Japan earthquake death toll rose to at least 13 as soldiers and emergency crews searched damaged buildings in southwestern Japan on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported. The magnitude 7.1 quake struck the Kumamoto area of Kyushu a day earlier, leaving people missing, disrupting transport and knocking out utilities.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said rescuers were trying to reach people who may still be trapped. “There are people who are still waiting to be rescued, and it's a race against time,” Takaichi said, according to the AP.

Chief government spokesman Minoru Kihara told reporters that about 36,900 homes still lacked electricity and 9,500 homes were without gas. Communications were also down in some areas, he said.

What happened in the Japan earthquake?

The quake hit the Kumamoto area on Kyushu, Japan’s southern main island, and caused collapses at homes, commercial buildings and industrial sites, according to officials cited by the AP. Search teams focused on places where people were believed to be trapped, including a damaged shopping mall and a paper factory.

Japan’s Self Defense Forces joined emergency crews at an Aeon Mall in Kashima, where the second floor collapsed after an explosion suspected of being linked to a gas leak, the AP reported. Officials had not provided a number for how many people might still be inside.

In Yatsushiro, a chimney fell at Nippon Paper Industries Co.’s factory, leaving people buried in debris, the Kumamoto emergency team said. Officials said two survivors and two bodies had been recovered, while seven people were feared to remain trapped as of Wednesday.

Utilities, shelters and transport remain disrupted

More than 9,000 people had left their homes for more than 500 shelters, Kihara said. He said authorities were adding power sources at evacuation centers so they could run air conditioning as the region dealt with a heat wave.

Temperatures in the area were expected to top 32 Celsius, or 90 Fahrenheit, according to the AP. Takaichi urged people affected by the earthquake to protect themselves in the heat and said the national government was preparing deliveries of food and other essentials to areas hit hardest.

The Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train remained stopped Wednesday, the AP reported. Aso Kumamoto Airport was restarting operations after one runway was closed Tuesday, though officials said some flights could still be canceled.

Damage was still being reviewed across the region. Kyodo News reported that stone walls at Kumamoto Castle, a major tourist site still undergoing repairs from a deadly 2016 earthquake, were damaged.

Hiroki Shimoda, an official at Mifune town hall, told the AP the shaking brought back memories of the Kumamoto quake a decade ago. That 2016 disaster killed at least 50 people, according to the AP.

This story draws on original reporting from NPR.