Death toll reaches 48 from Japan earthquakes
An employee walks through the empty shelves selling food at a store in Kumamoto, Japan Wednesday, April 20, 2016. Many residents were still recovering from the shock of the destruction by earthquakes, while struggling to bring their lives, and spirit, together. KOKI SENGOKU/KYODO NEWS VIA AP
TOKYO — Searchers found a man’s body Wednesday in a landslide-hit area in southern Japan, bringing the death toll to 48 from two powerful earthquakes last week. Three people remain missing.
Kumamoto prefecture said that another 11 have died from illnesses believed to be related to the physical stress of evacuation.
More than 100,000 people are homeless or have fled their homes as aftershocks continue to shake the area. Many are living in cramped conditions in shelters or even their cars, with limited food and water.
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake on Thursday night followed by a 7.3 quake early Saturday morning caused widespread damage in parts of Kumamoto city and surrounding communities on the island of Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands.
READ: Twin quakes kill at least 29 in south Japan; many trapped
The body was found in the mountain village of Minamiaso, where the second quake triggered landslides that slammed into buildings and across roads. Soldiers and other rescue workers used backhoes and shovels to search through dirt and debris for the missing.
In all, 14 victims have been found in Minamiaso. The hardest-hit town appears to be Mashiko, where 20 people died. Kumamoto prefecture has tallied 1,453 homes destroyed so far, of which 1,026 are in Mashiko.
READ: Rescuers race against landslides to reach Japan quake victims
