(REUTERS) The death toll from this week's major earthquake in Japan has risen to 28, including those being investigated in relation to the disaster, chief cabinet secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters at a daily briefing on Thursday (July 30).
Kihara said rescue and relief efforts by the police and fire departments, as well as the Japan Self-Defense Forces, were still ongoing.
"Saving lives and rescuing those affected by the disaster is truly a race against time," he said on Thursday.
Kihara added that five people died in the massive explosion at Aeon’s shopping mall in Kumamoto and another five died in Nippon Paper Industries’ mill, which suffered major structural damage.
Local authorities have warned of the risk of heatstroke with temperatures forecast to reach close to 40 Celsius degrees (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on the weekend.
Posted by: Alma Angeles/NET25 News
