Kumamoto Quake Toll Reaches 38 as Heat and Water Cuts Worsen Crisis

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto on July 28, killing 38. A week later, 40°C heat is making shelters dangerous — one person died of heatstroke in a car. Over 8,500 people remain in crowded shelters, many without air conditioning, while 46,000-plus households lack water. Collapsed infrastructure meeting extreme weather is pushing deaths beyond the quake itself.