Death toll from southwestern Japan quake climbs to 34 as rescuers search damaged mall

KUMAMOTO, Japan (AP) — The death toll climbed to 34 from a powerful earthquake in southwestern Japan that set off an explosion at a mall, toppled a factory chimney and flattened homes, the Kumamoto prefectural government said Friday.

The magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday.

Officials said 34 deaths had been confirmed as related to the disaster, with one more death still under investigation. On Thursday authorities said more than 80 people had been injured, five of them seriously.

Searchers continued to work in the Kumamoto area on Friday, including at the site of the collapsed mall.

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