Conflict · 30 dead · ArchiveKumamoto Quake: 30 Dead, Rescuers Race Aftershocks to Save Trapped SurvivorAired July 31, 2026 at 12:31 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00The death toll from the powerful0:01earthquake that hit southwestern Japan's0:03Kumamoto region on Tuesday has reached0:0530, the government confirmed today. The0:077.1 magnitude tremor reached the maximum0:107 on Japan's seismic intensity scale.0:12Shikawa town bore the brunt with more0:15than 120 houses completely destroyed and0:17the total number of damaged buildings0:19now exceeds 800. Rescue teams have been0:21working since Thursday morning, but at0:23least one person is still trapped under0:25a collapsed house in Yatsushiro city as0:28the race against time intensifies. The0:30Japan Meteorological Agency warns that0:32seismic activity is far from over.0:35Hundreds of aftershocks have already0:36struck and there remains a high risk of0:38major jolts over the next week.0:40Compounding the crisis, temperatures are0:42above 30°C.0:44Thousands are still without power and0:46water. Authorities have set up water0:48stations, but shortages of food and0:50gasoline are growing. The urgent0:52question now is whether rescuers can0:54reach the trapped person before the0:55ground shakes again.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗