Kumamoto Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 36 Amid Extreme Heat Risks

Kumamoto Prefecture Heat Stroke Fatality

The latest fatality was an elderly woman in her 70s who developed heat stroke while taking shelter in a car, according to Kumamoto officials. Temperatures in Kumamoto city reached an extreme 36.6 degrees Celsius (97.8 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday, with expectations of even higher temperatures. The Apnews recorded the conditions as sweltering heat continues to affect the region following Tuesday’s quake on the southern main island of Kyushu.

Takashi Kimura Evacuation Shelter Conditions

Takashi Kimura urged evacuees sheltering in vehicles to keep refueling to run air-conditioning or to consider moving to air-conditioned evacuation centers. More than 9,000 people remain in crowded shelters such as school gyms, classrooms, and community centers—many lacking air-conditioning—while countless others continue to sleep in cars, parks, or outside their homes for privacy. Alongside heat risks, nearly 47,000 homes remain affected by a lack of fresh water, and fuel shortages persist.

Japan Earthquake Kills 18 as Rescuers Search for Missing in Kumamoto

Aeon Mall Site in Kashima

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told a government task force meeting Saturday that water, food, portable toilets, air conditioners, and partitions are being delivered to improve evacuation centers. Authorities also concluded a dayslong search-and-rescue operation at a heavily damaged Aeon Mall site in Kashima, where an explosion following the earthquake caused walls and a second floor to collapse after shoppers had evacuated. Crews pulled five survivors and seven bodies from the location. At another hard-hit location, a collapsed chimney at a Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro city trapped 11 employees, resulting in nine confirmed deaths and two rescues.

Thousands of Self Defense troops, police, rescue workers, and sniffing dogs remain deployed as search operations continue, with the overall number of missing people still unknown. According to Kumamoto prefectural assessments, the disaster has left 105 people injured, destroyed over 180 homes, and damaged more than 3,800 buildings, including 20 severely affected structures. Authorities are also investigating two additional deaths to determine if they are quake-related.