Japan says 28 dead in Kumamoto quake as rescuers race against clock

Japan's government announced Thursday that 28 people have died in connection with the powerful earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara Minoru held a press conference Thursday, citing figures as of 6:30 a.m. that day.

The figure differed from Kumamoto Prefecture's own tally, which put the death toll at 17. Kihara attributed the discrepancy to differing collection methods: the central government was rapidly reporting deaths confirmed by police and fire department officials, while the prefecture was compiling information submitted by local municipalities.

"It has now been 40 hours since the earthquake struck, and rescuing survivors is a race against time," Kihara said, pledging that the government would do everything possible to save lives.

According to the prefectural tally, eight people were killed at the Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro and five died at the Aeon Mall Kumamoto shopping center, where an explosion occurred. Three more deaths were confirmed in Yatsushiro city and one in Kosa-machi, with six others found in cardiac arrest.

The central government appears to have gathered additional information — including two deaths in Uki city that local authorities had yet to confirm — before the prefecture finalized its count, Kyodo News reported.

As of Thursday morning, about 10,000 residents remained in some 400 evacuation shelters across Kumamoto Prefecture.

Around 75,000 households in areas including Uki city, which recorded a seismic intensity of 7 — the highest level on the Japan Meteorological Administration's scale — were still without running water. Some 23,000 households remained without power, leaving residents struggling to run air conditioners and refrigerators during a heat wave.

On the economic impact of the quake, Kihara said the government was assessing damage to infrastructure and businesses in Kyushu, noting the region is home to major semiconductor, electronic components and automotive companies as well as key ports. He added that emergency repairs had been completed at several major ports, including Yatsushiro Port and Kumamoto Port, allowing Japan Coast Guard patrol vessels to begin delivering water and relief supplies by sea.