The death toll from the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake has risen to 28 including suspected cases, Japanese authorities reported on July 30, as rescue teams continued searching for people trapped under rubble three days after the magnitude 7.1 quake struck Japan's southern Kyushu island.
The earthquake hit at 16:27 local time on July 28, with its epicentre about 20 kilometres south of Kumamoto City. An explosion tore through the Aeon Mall Kumamoto, killing two women in their 20s and leaving one person in cardiopulmonary arrest. A separate building collapse killed one person near the epicentre. More than 387 people were injured, with two hospitals each treating over 50 patients.
Approximately 300,000 residents were instructed to evacuate to shelters. Kyushu Electric Power reported 48,000 homes lost power. Rail services including bullet trains were suspended, Kumamoto Airport shut its runway, and major highways suffered large cracks.
The industrial impact was significant. TSMC, Sony, and Fujifilm evacuated workers from their Kumamoto plants. Tokyo Electron suspended operations at its two Kumamoto factories through July 30, while Honda temporarily idled its motorcycle factory there. TSMC later confirmed its site was unaffected and operations were resuming.
Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority reported no irregularities at nearby nuclear power stations. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned of continued aftershock risk for approximately one week and heatstroke danger as temperatures were forecast to reach 34°C. The quake hit the same region devastated by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake in 2016 that killed 275 people.
