Japan Earthquake: Death Toll Rises to 38

The death toll from the earthquake that struck Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture last Tuesday has risen to 38. On Monday, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK quoted a prefectural government official as saying the casualty count had reached 38. The broadcaster reported that the condition of 13 survivors pulled from the rubble remains critical, while the quake damaged approximately 4,600 buildings, including homes and commercial facilities across the prefecture. On Friday, authorities announced that 36 people had died in the devastating 7.1-magnitude earthquake. The Japan Meteorological Agency stated that the earthquake occurred in the Oki and Hiekawa areas of Kumamoto Prefecture at a depth of 10 kilometers, causing widespread damage that included fires, collapsed roads, and bridges. Japan is one of the countries most vulnerable to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” which contains numerous volcanoes and oceanic trenches.