The death toll from the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on 28 July has reached 38, local authorities confirmed on Sunday. Among the fatalities, a woman in her 70s died while sleeping in a car whose air conditioner had failed because the vehicle had run out of fuel; her death is being investigated as potentially disaster-related, the prefectural disaster response headquarters said. A man in his 80s was also among the newly confirmed victims.

Seven workers died and five others were injured in an explosion at the Aeon shopping centre near Kumamoto City shortly after the quake, according to the prefectural government. One report, citing local broadcaster RKK, said a 22-year-old female employee who had already escaped to a safe area was instructed by store management to return to secure the day’s takings and died when the explosion occurred. The company involved has declined to comment.

Official figures for displaced residents and infrastructure damage vary across sources. The prefectural disaster response headquarters reported 8,480 people in 206 evacuation centres, with 4,213 homes damaged. Other accounts, including reports from Antara News, put the number of evacuees at more than 9,200 across 210 centres, with 3,400 houses damaged and 181 completely destroyed. Water supply remains cut to between 46,700 and more than 69,000 households, depending on the source. Power is still out for 1,590 households and gas for 8,700, according to one tally.

More than 5,000 Self-Defence Force personnel have been deployed to the disaster zone. Authorities have begun recruiting disaster volunteers in several towns, and the central government is arranging secondary evacuation facilities — hotels and inns — for up to 2,200 people, with priority for the elderly. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported that 360 aftershocks of intensity 1 or greater had occurred by Sunday afternoon, including five that registered lower 5 on the Japanese seismic scale. Officials cautioned that the full extent of damage remains unclear and that the number of destroyed buildings is likely to rise as inspections continue.