According to news from the Japanese Broadcasting Association (NHK) on August 1st, the Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan has announced that 38 people have died due to the earthquake.
One of the victims appears to have suffered injuries due to the earthquake, and their condition worsened. Another victim may have fallen ill due to excessive physical exertion after the disaster, making them a case of death related to the disaster. The link between the deaths of the other two individuals and this disaster is still under investigation.
Some areas are still without water supply. As of 2 pm on the 1st, about 69,400 households in the county are affected by water shortages. It is expected that high temperatures will continue in Kumamoto County. Therefore, the county government has decided to strengthen measures to prevent heatstroke in shelters. Shelters will be equipped with mobile air conditioners and the supply of drinking water will be increased.
In addition, a total of 210 shelters were set up throughout the county during this earthquake, with a total of 9226 people taking refuge there.
According to the damage report released by Kumamoto Prefecture, 181 houses were completely destroyed, and 1,639 houses suffered partial damage. Additionally, 1,584 houses have been confirmed to be affected, and the extent of their damage is still being assessed. In total, there are 3,649 houses that have been damaged.
The Kumamoto Prefectural Government stated that the current disaster assessment work has not yet been fully carried out, and the number of damaged buildings is likely to increase significantly in the future.
The damaged buildings in this county include the famous historical site, Kumamoto Castle, and some of the stone walls collapsed after the earthquake. In 2016, Kumamoto County experienced a severe earthquake, and the ancient city underwent a ten-year restoration project. The earthquake on the 28th hit the still-restoring ancient city again. So far, 28 stone walls have collapsed in Kumamoto Castle, and cracks have appeared in four buildings, including the castle tower.
