Hope dwindles for rescue in southwestern Japan quake as death toll climbs to 23

Time was running out to find survivors, as rescuers continued to work in the Kumamoto area on Japan 's southern main island of Kyushu, where the magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Tuesday.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3968x2645+0+0/resize/3968x2645!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F95%2F58%2F17a9ea9549888fa7aa20d4b7ec5e%2Fap26211131830686.jpg' alt='In this aerial image taken with a drone, responders work outside AEON Mall Kumamoto after an explosion occurred following an earthquake, in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026.'/><p>Time was running out to find survivors, as rescuers continued to work in the Kumamoto area on Japan 's southern main island of Kyushu, where the magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Tuesday.</p><p>(Image credit: Koji Harada)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5913050' />