The aftermath of a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday continues to unfold, with the death toll rising to 34, according to the Kumamoto prefectural government. The disaster has left a trail of destruction, including a mall explosion a toppled factory chimney, and flattened homes across the region.

As rescue teams work against the clock to find survivors, the region faces additional challenges, including a heatwave that has raised temperatures to 36 C (97 F) in Kumamoto city. Thousands of residents remain in shelters or their vehicles, raising concerns about heat-related illnesses.

Infrastructure damage and service disruptions

More than 79,000 homes are without water, and over 2,700 are without electricity as of Friday afternoon. Authorities are working to restore power and have added air conditioning units to shelters to provide relief from the sweltering heat. Fuel shortages have also become a pressing issue, as power outages have disabled gas stations and quake damage has disrupted deliveries from other regions.

The earthquake has also impacted major industries in the region. Kumamoto is a significant industrial hub, and there are concerns that the quake could disrupt semiconductor and auto-parts supply chains for months to come. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, a global chip giant with a facility in Kumamoto, temporarily evacuated workers after experiencing strong shaking. The company reported that all personnel were safe and operations were gradually resuming after post-quake inspections.

Rescue efforts and ongoing searches

Search operations entered a fourth day on Friday, with officials emphasizing the critical nature of the afternoon hours for rescue efforts. Experts note that survival chances decline after the first three days. Searchers continued to work in the Kumamoto area, including at the site of the collapsed Aeon Mall shopping center in the town of Kashima, where some of the most serious damage was recorded.

The mall was bustling with thousands of people when the quake struck. About 3,000 shoppers were evacuated to a parking lot before an explosion occurred in another part of the mall. The mall’s second floor collapsed, trapping people inside. As of Friday, seven people were confirmed dead, and 11 had been rescued. The number of missing individuals remains unknown.

Meanwhile, a search operation concluded at a Nippon Paper Industries factory in the Yatsushiro area, where a chimney collapsed in the quake. Searchers rescued 11 people there, while nine others were confirmed dead. Smaller-scale searches continued at the sites of collapsed houses in badly hit towns in southern Kumamoto.

Transportation and community impact

Shinkansen bullet trains have resumed between Kumamoto and Fukuoka to the north but with reduced services. However, those connecting cities down south to Kagoshima remain suspended. Local trains in quake-hit areas, mainly in southern Kumamoto, are still suspended due to quake damage.

In the town of Hikawa, one of the most badly damaged parts of Kumamoto, officials reported that more than 800 of the town’s 4,500 homes were destroyed or damaged. Many residents have resorted to sleeping in their vehicles in parks, at the town hall parking lot, or outside their homes. Some are without water or electricity, while others are scared to sleep indoors due to the intense shaking.

Among those affected is Ayako Sudo, a woman in her 70s who is sleeping in her car with her husband. ‘Since it’s a wooden house, the shaking is really intense,’ Sudo said. ‘Even when the earthquakes are small, it shakes, and it brings up this feeling of fear. So I think I’d really prefer somewhere that feels safe.’ Sudo and her husband have been sleep-deprived in the car, a situation that has become all too familiar after a powerful quake that shook Kumamoto in 2016.