Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visited Kumamoto after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake killed 38, with recovery hampered by extreme heat up to 40C, water shortages affecting over 46,000 households, and criticism of shelter conditions; a mall explosion killed two employees.
Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi visits earthquake-hit Kumamoto prefecture, where recovery is hindered by extreme heat, water shortages, and lack of air-conditioned shelters, nearly a week after a 7.1 magnitude quake killed 38 people.
Executives from Habita, which operates a variety store in the Aeon shopping centre, apologized to the family of 22-year-old Kurumi Otake, who died after re-entering the Kashima building following a magnitude 7.1 earthquake.
A woman in her seventies died of heatstroke in her car in Kumamoto, Japan, raising the earthquake's death toll to 36. Officials are now distributing leaflets urging evacuees in cars to stay cool and hydrated to prevent further heat-related deaths.
