SYNOPSIS: Rescue teams are working across Kumamoto Prefecture after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck southwestern Japan with a maximum seismic intensity of 7 in the city of Uki and the town of Hikawa. Authorities have confirmed 13 deaths possibly related to the quake, while multiple people remain missing or trapped under collapsed structures.

L/ (See elements below)

Work to search and rescue people trapped in rubble continued in Kumamoto Prefecture on July 29, a day after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the region in southwestern Japan.

On the morning of July 29, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae told reporters in Tokyo that as of 8:30 a.m., the government has confirmed 13 deaths, including those being investigated for links to the disaster.

In the town of Hikawa, where the quake registered the maximum 7 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale, an elderly couple were trapped under the rubble of a collapsed house.

S/ Reporter / This is the site of a house collapse in the town of Hikawa. An elderly man in his 80s is believed to be trapped, and intensive rescue efforts are ongoing.

The 78-year-old wife was rescued by relatives, while emergency personnel were working on rescuing her 84-year-old husband, who was reportedly unconscious.

At the Aeon shopping mall in the town of Kashima, an explosion that occurred at the facility following the earthquake left the walls stripped away and the building’s framework exposed.

Across large areas of the two-story building, the walls and windows have been blown out, leaving only the structural columns standing.

Authorities said there were initial reports that the second floor had collapsed and people were trapped inside.

Four female employees have since been rescued, including a 22-year-old woman who sustained minor injuries.

Two employees were confirmed dead, and one was in cardiopulmonary arrest, while the whereabouts of six other employees remained unknown.

Officials are investigating the cause, including the possibility of a gas explosion as restaurants in the mall were believed to be using liquefied petroleum gas for cooking.

A senior Japanese government official said on the night of July 28 that a leak of liquefied petroleum gas had been successfully stopped and expressed hope that rescue operations will move forward.

So far, three deaths have been confirmed in the town of Kashima and other areas, five were in cardiopulmonary arrest, seven were unaccounted for, and three sustained serious injuries.

In the city of Yatsushiro, where a seismic intensity of upper 6 was recorded, a factory smokestack at Nippon Paper Industries’ mill broke and collapsed.

According to Kumamoto prefectural government officials and others, 11 people were trapped and four have been rescued, but two were in cardiopulmonary arrest and two were severely injured.

The remaining seven were unaccounted for.

Across Kumamoto Prefecture, 465 evacuation centers have been opened, and 9,872 people were taking shelter.

Essential utilities have also been affected, with power outages at about 35,000 households and water supplies disrupted at 57,000 households.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said 171 earthquakes registering intensities of 1 or higher have been recorded since the initial quake through 10 a.m. on July 29.

Agency officials are urging people to remain alert for earthquakes of up to 7 in seismic intensity for about a week, particularly over the next two to three days.

Officials are also urging people to be careful of heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses as temperatures have surpassed 30 degrees Celsius in parts of Kumamoto Prefecture.

The initial quake occurred at around 4:27 p.m. on July 28, registering the uppermost seismic intensity of 7 in the city of Uki and the town of Hikawa.