(Japan, 31st) The 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Kumamoto, Japan, on July 28 has led the Kumamoto Prefecture Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters to announce on the morning of July 31 that, based on police data, the number of confirmed fatalities has increased by one, raising the total casualties (including fatalities) to 126.
So far, 35 people have been confirmed dead, of whom 34 have been officially recognized by the authorities as "disaster-related deaths"; the cause of death for one person is still under investigation to determine if it was disaster-related.
According to Japanese media, the aftermath of this major earthquake is approaching the critical "72-hour window," after which the survival rate of missing persons is said to sharply decline. Authorities have formed a joint search and rescue team of about 230 people, and after 5:30 a.m. on the 31st, they launched a large-scale search and rescue operation at Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima Town, where a major explosion occurred following the quake.
According to Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, as of 5:30 a.m. on the 30th, more than 70,000 households in Kumamoto Prefecture were without running water. Reports say the current high temperatures, combined with power and water outages, are subjecting residents of the disaster area to severe hardship.
At around 16:27 local time on the 28th, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture, followed by ongoing aftershocks. Nearly ten thousand people are still taking refuge due to the earthquake.