Tokyo, Aug 8 (IANS) The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck southwestern Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28 has risen to 39, while more than 6,500 people remain in evacuation shelters, the prefectural government said on Saturday.
Of the 39 fatalities, 36 were directly caused by the 7.1-magnitude tremor, while one fatality, apparently due to heat stroke, is believed to be related to the disaster. The circumstances surrounding the other two deaths are still being examined for possible links to the quake.
So far, the earthquake has resulted in 205 casualties in the prefecture, including 23 people who sustained severe injuries, reports Xinhua news agency.
The powerful Kumamoto earthquake registered a maximum of 7 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale in the hardest-hit areas, a level at which people cannot remain standing or move without crawling and may be thrown through the air.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visited the quake-affected areas on Monday.
“The government will do everything that it can do,” Takaichi told the residents affected by the 7.1-magnitude earthquake on July 28, Kyodo News Agency reported.
Takaichi visited an evacuation shelter in the town of Hikawa, wearing a disaster response uniform.
She also observed the Aeon shopping mall in the town of Kashima from a helicopter where an explosion occurred after the quake, killing seven people. She also saw the paper plant in Yatsushiro where nine people died.
Aerial footage filmed by public broadcaster NHK helicopter on July 28 showed severe damage to the structure. Sections of the building’s exterior wall had peeled away, exposing steel framework, while part of the roof appeared to have collapsed. A large hole was also visible on the rooftop.
–IANS
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