2,500 evacuees remain in shelters 1 month after Kumamoto quake
Nearly 2,500 people are still staying in evacuation centers amid scorching summer heat, one month after a powerful earthquake struck southwestern Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture, Qazinform News Agency learned from JIJI Press.
Recovery and reconstruction efforts are underway, but challenges remain, with water supplies still disrupted in some areas.
According to the prefectural government’s disaster response headquarters, 38 people have been confirmed dead as of 2 p.m. Thursday, including two believed to have died from disaster‑related causes such as heatstroke. Another 33 remain seriously injured.
The number of evacuees has dropped sharply to 2,460 at 61 shelters across 11 municipalities, down from 10,467 at 415 shelters on July 30.
Local authorities are also conducting door‑to‑door visits and other checks to identify residents sheltering at home or in vehicles.
Earlier, it was reported that an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 struck northern Colombia at 16:45 GMT on Wednesday.
