Kuamoto, Aug 1:
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. ISearchers continued to work in the Kumamoto area on Friday.