Japan earthquake aftermath: Woman dies of heat stroke in parked car; toll rises to 36
An elderly woman apparently died of heat stroke while sheltering in her car, after the massive earthquake that killed over 30, as authorities warned of growing heat-related risks for evacuees amid sweltering temperatures.The woman, believed to be in her 70s, was found dead in a car on Thursday. NHK reported the vehicle had run out of fuel, preventing the use of air conditioning. Officials said the death was linked to the extreme heat that has gripped the quake-hit region.“It’s heartbreaking,” Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura said, urging evacuees staying in vehicles to keep enough fuel to run air conditioning or move to air-conditioned evacuation centres.The magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday, killing at least 36 people and injuring 105 others. Authorities are also investigating two additional deaths to determine whether they were quake-related.The disaster has left thousands displaced, with more than 9,000 people staying in schools, community centres and other emergency shelters, while many others continue to sleep in cars or outside their homes for privacy.The Japan Meteorological Agency said temperatures in Kumamoto city reached 36.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday and could climb even higher, raising fears of further heat-related illnesses.Authorities have begun distributing leaflets urging evacuees sheltering in vehicles to stay hydrated, move to cooler locations where possible and exercise regularly to reduce the risk of blood clots.Nearly 47,000 households remain without fresh water, while fuel shortages have led to long queues at petrol stations as supplies gradually resume.Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the government was rushing water, food, portable toilets, air conditioners and partitions to evacuation centres to improve living conditions.“The government is determined to do everything we can,” Takaichi said.Search and recovery operations continued across the prefecture, with thousands of Self Defense Forces personnel, police officers, rescue workers and sniffer dogs deployed.Authorities on Saturday concluded a days-long operation at an Aeon Mall in Kashima, one of the worst-hit sites, where five survivors and the bodies of seven victims were recovered after a suspected gas explosion triggered by the earthquake caused part of the building to collapse.At another disaster site, a chimney collapsed at a Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro city, killing nine workers. Two others were rescued.Officials said more than 180 homes had been destroyed and over 3,800 buildings damaged, while fewer than 900 households remained without electricity.
