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Japan earthquake death toll rises to 18 as rescuers race to find survivors

KUMAMOTO, Japan (AP) — Soldiers and emergency workers combed through a badly damaged shopping mall and collapsed houses looking for trapped survivors Wednesday after a powerful earthquake that killed at least 18 people, including a foreigner, in southwestern Japan. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake that hit a day earlier in the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu also left at least 62 people injured, six of them seriously, the prefectural government said. The tally has been steadily growing, fanning fears it may continue to rise. The sweltering weather heightened worries about the survivors as rescuers braved the heat.

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Scoop News DeskKumamoto, Japan · Published Wednesday, July 29, 2026 at 11:50 AM UTCUpdated Wednesday, July 29, 2026 at 5:20 PM UTC

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Three people remained missing, while four deaths were confirmed at the mall site, according to Aeon President Akio Yoshida. "We take it seriously that an explosion happened and precious lives were lost," Yoshida told a news conference in Kumamoto, where he bowed deeply along with two other executives. 1 dead — at least Although operations at Aso Kumamoto Airport resumed Wednesday, some airlines canceled flights as a precautionary measure.

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Version 2updated
Wednesday, July 29, 2026 at 2:45 PM UTC
KUMAMOTO, Japan (AP) — Soldiers and emergency workers combed through a badly damaged shopping mall and collapsed houses looking for trapped survivors Wednesday after a powerful earthquake that killed at least 18 people, including a foreigner, in southwestern Japan. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake that hit a day earlier in the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu also left at least 62 people injured, six of them seriously, the prefectural government said. The tally has been steadily growing, fanning fears it may continue to rise. The sweltering weather heightened worries about the survivors as rescuers braved the heat.
Version 3unpublished
Wednesday, July 29, 2026 at 5:20 PM UTC
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