Rescuers search for the missing after Japan earthquake as death toll rises to 13

Asia Rescuers search for the missing after Japan earthquake as death toll rises to 13 July 29, 20261:34 AM ET By  The Associated Press This aerial image shows a damaged chimney of the Nippon Paper Industries Co.'s Yatsushiro factory, following an earthquake in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Naoki Hiraoka/Kyodo News via AP hide caption toggle caption Naoki Hiraoka/Kyodo News via AP KUMAMOTO, Japan — Soldiers and emergency workers combed through a badly damaged shopping mall and collapsed houses looking for trapped survivors Wednesday after a powerful earthquake that killed at least 13 people and left many missing in southwestern Japan. Bullet train services and some airport operations remained suspended and damage was still being assessed a day after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu. "There are people who are still waiting to be rescued, and it's a race against time," Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said. "We will go all out to find and rescue as many people as we can." Sponsor Message About 36,900 homes were still without electricity, 9,500 homes were without gas and communication networks were not working in some areas, chief government spokesman Minoru Kihara told reporters. More than 9,000 people left their homes to stay in more than 500 shelters, and he said power sources were being added so the evacuation centers had air conditioning. Japan has had an ongoing heat wave, and temperatures in the area were forecast to exceed 32 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit). A vehicle passes by collapsed houses after an earthquake in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Juntaro Yokoyama/Kyodo News via AP hide caption toggle caption Juntaro Yokoyama/Kyodo News via AP Japan's Self Defense Forces joined rescue workers in the search and rescue operations at the badly damaged Aeon Mall in the town of Kashima. The building's second floor collapsed, trapping people, after an explosio...