A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck southern Japan, severely damaging the small city of Yatsushiro in Kumamoto prefecture. The quake toppled houses, split streets, and left many residents without running water or electricity two days after the disaster.

Town official Akio Matsushita, who is helping lead relief efforts, expressed deep concern about the invisible dangers posed by the lack of water and power amid intense summer heat. Temperatures reached around 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) with stifling humidity, exacerbating the risk of heatstroke.

Matsushita said at city hall that it was uncertain whether repairs to the badly damaged water mains would take days, weeks, or months. Emergency toilets have been set up over sewer manholes outside due to the building toilets being out of order.

The Kumamoto prefectural government reported that the earthquake has killed at least 17 people. Most fatalities occurred at Nippon Paper Industries’ paper mill, which suffered major structural damage, and at Aeon’s shopping centre, where a possible gas explosion took place.

The disaster has left roughly 58,000 households in the port city without basic utilities, compounding the challenges posed by El Nino weather conditions.

Sources

South China Morning Post World (Reuters)