Hope dwindles for rescue in southwestern Japan quake as death toll climbs to 23

Hope dwindles for rescue in southwestern Japan quake as death toll climbs to 23 1 of 6 | The powerful earthquake struck southwestern Japan on Tuesday and killed at least 18 people. Many residents were reminded of the earthquake that occurred there 10 years ago that killed 50 people. (AP video: Ayaka McGill) 2 of 6 | AEON Mall shopping center, where an explosion occurred following a powerful earthquake, is seen in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Kai Naito/Kyodo News via AP) 3 of 6 | A firefighter carries a stretcher at AEON Mall shopping center, where an explosion occurred following a powerful earthquake, in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Kai Naito/Kyodo News via AP) 4 of 6 | A person sits near a house damaged following an earthquake in Uki, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae) 5 of 6 | Residents receive food supply following an earthquake in Hikawa, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae) 6 of 6 | Firefighters gather at AEON Mall shopping center, where an explosion occurred following a powerful earthquake, in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Kai Naito/Kyodo News via AP) 1 of 6 The powerful earthquake struck southwestern Japan on Tuesday and killed at least 18 people. Many residents were reminded of the earthquake that occurred there 10 years ago that killed 50 people. (AP video: Ayaka McGill) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 6 | AEON Mall shopping center, where an explosion occurred following a powerful earthquake, is seen in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Kai Naito/Kyodo News via AP) 2 of 6 AEON Mall shopping center, where an explosion occurred following a powerful earthquake, is seen in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Kai Naito/Kyodo News via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 6 | A firefighter carries a stretcher at AEON Mall shopping center, where an explosion occurred following a powerful earthquake, in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Kai Naito/Kyodo News via AP) 3 of 6 A firefighter carries a stretcher at AEON Mall shopping center, where an explosion occurred following a powerful earthquake, in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Kai Naito/Kyodo News via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 4 of 6 | A person sits near a house damaged following an earthquake in Uki, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae) 4 of 6 A person sits near a house damaged following an earthquake in Uki, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 5 of 6 | Residents receive food supply following an earthquake in Hikawa, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae) 5 of 6 Residents receive food supply following an earthquake in Hikawa, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 6 of 6 | Firefighters gather at AEON Mall shopping center, where an explosion occurred following a powerful earthquake, in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Kai Naito/Kyodo News via AP) 6 of 6 Firefighters gather at AEON Mall shopping center, where an explosion occurred following a powerful earthquake, in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Kai Naito/Kyodo News via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] KUMAMOTO, Japan (AP) — Rural communities in southwestern Japan were struggling to get their lives back to normal Thursday, two days after a powerful earthquake set off an explosion at a mall, toppled a factory chimney and flattened homes, killing at least 23 people.Time was running out to find survivors, as rescuers continued to work in the Kumamoto area on Japan ’s southern main island of Kyushu, where the magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Tuesday.The number of those missing was unclear. The quake left at least 63 people injured, five of them seriously, the Kumamoto prefectural government said.Survivors spoke about coming home and desperately pulling family members out of the wreckage. Some had suffered injuries and were rushed to the hospital.Thousands of people spent another night at evacuation centers set up throughout the area in gymnasiums and other big spaces. Some homes were still without water or electricity, while others were simply afraid to go back. Although Japan boasts strict building codes because of the frequency of quakes in the country, some homes in the area are in the older style of Japanese housing, making them relatively fragile.The most serious damage was at the AEON Mall shopping center in the town of Kashima, which was bustling with thousands of people when the quake struck in the late afternoon. 2 MIN READ 2 MIN READ 5 MIN READ The company said some 3,000 customers were evacuated to a parking lot before the explosion happened in another part of the mall, where some people were still working. The mall’s second floor collapsed, trapping people.As of early Thursday, six people were confirmed to have died at the mall site among the 11 people pulled out of the wreckage, according to Kumamoto authorities. Family members of those still missing could be seen wandering helplessly near the wrecked mall, waiting for word, despite the sweltering weather.In the Yatsushiro area, where a chimney collapsed at a Nippon Paper Industries factory, 10 people were rescued, but eight others died, and one remained missing, according to the Kumamoto prefectural government disaster team. Nearly 23,000 homes were still without electricity and more than 10,000 people were staying in the roughly 400 shelters, where power sources were being added to provide air conditioning.Associated Press writer Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.