Death toll from southwestern Japan quake climbs to 34 as rescuers again search damaged mall

KUMAMOTO, Japan (AP) — The death toll climbed to 34 from a powerful earthquake in southwestern Japan that set off an explosion at a mall, toppled a factory chimney and flattened homes, the Kumamoto prefectural government said Friday.

The magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday.

Officials said 34 deaths had been confirmed as related to the disaster, with one more death still under investigation. On Thursday authorities said more than 80 people had been injured, five of them seriously.

More than 3,500 homes were still without electricity and more than 9,000 people were staying in shelters, where power sources were being added to provide air conditioning. In the days since the quake, concerns have grown about illness, including from the sweltering heat.

Searchers continued to work in the Kumamoto area on Friday, 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 complex was bustling with thousands of people when the quake happened.

The company said about 3,000 shoppers were evacuated to a parking lot before an explosion happened in another part of the mall, where some staff remained working. The mall’s second floor collapsed, trapping people.