A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan on Tuesday, causing widespread damage across the island of Kyushu and prompting a major rescue operation. The death toll has climbed to at least 23, with officials warning that hope of finding further survivors is fading as rescue efforts stretch into a second day amid hot weather.

The quake triggered an explosion at an Aeon shopping mall in the town of Kashima, where six people died and eleven were pulled from the rubble after around 3,000 shoppers had been evacuated. In Yatsushiro, the collapse of a factory chimney at a Nippon Paper Industries plant killed eight people, with ten rescued and one still missing. At least 63 people were injured, five seriously, while more than 10,000 residents are sheltering in roughly 400 evacuation centres and nearly 23,000 homes remain without electricity. Rescuers are also contending with heat stroke warnings as temperatures reach 33°C.