Kumamoto Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 39 as Recovery Efforts Begin

The death toll from the Kumamoto earthquake on July 28 has risen to 39 people, according to announcements from the prefecture. Total casualties have reached 205, including 23 people who are severely injured. Currently, 6,591 people are staying at 124 shelters across 12 municipalities. In response to the housing crisis, the prefecture has established a dedicated housing measures team to manage applications for rental emergency housing. In Hikawa Town, where a maximum seismic intensity of 7 was recorded, volunteers began activities on August 8 to help clear debris from damaged homes. Infrastructure damage is severe, particularly on the South Kyushu Expressway. Experts describe the damage to the Myoken Daiichi Bridge as unprecedented because it was subjected to both seismic shaking and fault displacement simultaneously. Geological surveys by professors from Hiroshima University and Fukuoka University of Education revealed that the Hinagu fault zone appeared on the surface over a stretch of 38 kilometers. Researchers noted that some sections moved in the same location as they did during an earthquake 10 years ago, a phenomenon that challenges conventional seismic common sense regarding the intervals at which active faults move.