Japan’s south-western Kyushu region has had more than 100 aftershocks since it was struck on Tuesday by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake which left at least 13 people dead.
Many others were said to be in “cardiopulmonary arrest” – a term often used in preliminary reports in Japan before a death is officially confirmed.
Amid searing heat, rescue crews are digging through the rubble at a paper factory and a shopping mall in Kumamoto prefecture, looking for trapped survivors. The mall suffered an explosion in the hour after the quake struck.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned it was “truly a race against time” to rescue those trapped. Thousands are in evacuation centres, and many are without power.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) is urging residents to be alert for more strong earthquakes, public broadcaster NHK reported.
“For the next week or so, especially the next two to three days, we would like people to watch out for potential earthquakes with a maximum seismic intensity of 7,” a JMA official said.
Rescuers are continuing to search the rubble of Aeon Mall in Kashima town, where a portion of the second floor collapsed.