The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck south-eastern Japan on Tuesday has risen to 34, authorities announced today, with thousands of residents now also facing sweltering heat.

The disaster management office in Kumamoto prefecture, where the earthquake struck, said seven more bodies had been pulled from the rubble of a shopping centre in Kashima that was destroyed by an explosion following the quake.

Eight deaths were also confirmed at the Nippon Paper factory in the city of Yatsushiro, part of which collapsed, according to the same source. Five people remain in critical condition.

The magnitude 7.1 earthquake on Tuesday caused significant damage on the island of Kyushu. Homes were destroyed, bridges damaged and fires broke out, while power and water supplies have been cut off to thousands of households.

🇯🇵 The death toll from yesterday's 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Japan has risen to 13 https://t.co/Khen36ezwb pic.twitter.com/DHJhhWOJhn

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) July 29, 2026

The Aeon shopping centre had been evacuated after the earthquake, but around 50 minutes later the building was destroyed by a huge explosion while an unknown number of workers were still believed to be inside.

Footage from inside the building shows rescuers in orange uniforms and white helmets moving carefully through the debris, past twisted steel reinforcement bars, hanging cables and collapsed ceilings.

Rescuers also saved 25 animals from a cat café located in the same complex — news that was met with relief on social media.

Over 13,500 households with no power

Footage broadcast by television networks shows residents queuing to stock up on fuel and drinking water, with temperatures expected to reach 38°C in the region over the weekend.

Around 13,500 households remained without electricity today. Hundreds of elderly residents have been sleeping on mattresses on the floor of a community centre in the city of Uki, seeking shelter from the stifling heat.

“Thank God these reception centres exist,” one resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told AFP. She said she had wanted to stay at home or sleep in her car, “but it was far too hot and there are a lot of mosquitoes”.

“In this heat, it’s very difficult to be without electricity or air conditioning,” said Hiroyuki Matsushima, 53, a supermarket worker and father of four.

Authorities have sent around 100 air conditioning units to shelters housing residents left without power.