A powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu on Tuesday, killing at least 34 people, injuring nearly 100 and leaving thousands displaced in sweltering summer heat. The death toll has risen steadily as rescue teams, accompanied by search dogs, comb through collapsed buildings across Kumamoto prefecture — the hardest-hit region — in what officials described as a race against time, with survival chances diminishing after the first 72 hours.

Among the most devastating sites was the Aeon Mall in the town of Kashima, a large shopping complex that was packed with thousands of people when the earthquake struck. After shoppers were evacuated to the parking lot, a suspected gas explosion tore through another section of the building, causing the second floor to collapse and trapping staff who had remained inside. Of the 11 people rescued from the mall, seven were found dead. Rescue teams conducted a final sweep of the site on Friday with trained sniffer dogs to confirm no one remained. At a Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro city, a chimney collapsed and killed nine of the 11 workers pulled from the rubble, with search operations there now concluded. More than 1,500 buildings were damaged across the prefecture, with 179 reported as fully destroyed.

Nearly 80,000 homes remained without running water as of Friday, and while electricity was largely restored by Friday evening, fuel shortages left many residents unable to keep air conditioning running in temperatures approaching 36°C (97°F). Warnings of extreme heat were issued for Kumamoto city, compounding the misery for the more than 9,000 people sheltering in evacuation centres and the many others sleeping in their cars. "I haven't been able to sleep," said one displaced resident. "We drive to get food for the day and eat inside the car." Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called on authorities to secure water supplies by doing "whatever it takes" and urged close coordination with the military, with around 5,100 troops deployed in relief efforts.

Kumamoto is not only a densely populated urban area but also a significant industrial hub. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the global chip giant that operates a facility in the prefecture, confirmed all personnel were safe and that operations were gradually resuming after structural inspections found no critical damage, though detailed assessments were still underway. Analysts have flagged concerns that disruptions to semiconductor and auto-parts supply chains could last for months.

Japan sits atop four major tectonic plates along the western rim of the Pacific Ring of Fire, making it one of the most seismically active countries in the world. Nearly 10,000 people remain under formal evacuation orders across the three worst-affected areas. The full number of people still missing has not been officially confirmed, and rescue operations are expected to continue in the coming days.