Recovery efforts continue in quake

Recovery efforts continue in quake-stricken Kumamoto Prefecture

Recovery efforts continue following Tuesday's magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture. Scorching heat and disruptions to the water supply are also affecting people in the area.

Officials say search and rescue operations ended Saturday at a severely damaged mall in Kashima Town. Seven people died and five were injured in an explosion following the quake.

Police say they have checked the site multiple times and they have received no reports of unaccounted-for people.

Authorities say they have confirmed the deaths of 36 people, although they are unsure whether two of them are quake-related.

They also say more than 3,400 houses were damaged, and around 9,000 people have evacuated.

Tap water was unavailable at more than 69,000 households and businesses in Kumamoto Prefecture. The quake damaged pipes leading from a dam to a purification plant.

Medical facilities hit by the quake also worked to recover. A hospital in Yatsushiro City resumed dialysis treatment after receiving water from the Self-Defense Forces.

A lot of water is normally needed for dialysis, but the hospital is reducing the amount and cutting treatment time to cope with short supplies.

A doctor said, "Dialysis is a treatment to replace a kidney that works 24 hours a day. If people don't receive the treatment for a long time, their lives will be at risk." He added, "I am relieved to be able to resume that."

Temperatures in some parts of Kumamoto Prefecture have reached over 37 degrees Celsius. Officials said ambulances had transported 30 people with suspected symptoms of heatstroke on Saturday.

People should exercise every possible precaution to avoid heatstroke.