Anadolu staff
30 July 2026•Update: 30 July 2026
The death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck Japan’s southwestern Kumamoto prefecture on Kyushu island this week has risen to 30, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Thursday, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Addressing a government meeting, Takaichi said the figure included people whose deaths are still under investigation to determine whether they were directly related to Tuesday’s 7.1-magnitude quake, which caused damage to housing and power lines.
Meanwhile, search and rescue efforts continued at a collapsed shopping mall and a damaged paper factory.
The Kyushu Shinkansen Line between Kumamoto and Kagoshima-chuo stations remained suspended as authorities struggled to assess the damage.
More than 10,000 people were staying in evacuation centers as of Thursday morning.