Yatsushiro, Japan. A 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck southern Japan damaged homes, split streets and disrupted water and electricity supplies in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture. At least 17 people were confirmed dead two days after the quake, while many households remained without basic services in summer heat.
Infrastructure damage
The port city’s roughly 58,000 households were still without running water or power on Thursday, according to town official Akio Matsushita, who is helping lead relief efforts.
Matsushita said badly damaged water mains could take days, weeks or months to repair, with no timetable currently available.
“Because of the summer heat, the lack of water is especially difficult,” he said at city hall.
With toilets in the building out of order, officials set up emergency toilets over sewer manholes outside. Temperatures were around 35 degrees Celsius, with high humidity.
Casualties
The Kumamoto prefectural government said 17 people had died, with most fatalities occurring at Nippon Paper Industries’ 3863.T paper mill, which sustained major structural damage, and at Aeon’s 8267.T shopping mall, where a possible gas explosion occurred.
Another six people were in cardiopulmonary arrest, the government said. Including deaths still being investigated for a possible connection to the earthquake, the death toll stood at 30.
Vietnamese worker among victims
One victim was a newlywed Vietnamese factory worker survived by his wife and seven-month-old baby, according to Vietnamese news site Kenh14.
His wife, Vu Thi Thuy, told the news site that their final video call took place the night before the earthquake.
“Every time we video-called, my son never wanted to look at his dad but that night, for some reason, he stayed glued to the screen, wanting to be with his dad,” she said. “It was after 11 p.m. when I finally told him, ‘Let’s hang up so dad can get some sleep. He has to work tomorrow.’ I never imagined that would be our last call.”