Death toll rises as search and rescue operations continue in Japan

Rescue operations are continuing across Kumamoto Prefecture following the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that hit Japan's southern island of Kyushu. Casualty figures vary between reports as search teams clear debris, with media reporting between 14 and 18 fatalities and dozens injured. Emergency crews are currently searching a shopping centre where an explosion occurred, leaving roughly 20 workers missing.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the rescue efforts as "a race against time" and pledged to deploy all available resources to locate survivors. Seismologists noted that the disaster stems from complex tectonic activity where four lithospheric plates intersect.

In a separate geological event, China's seismological agency reported two moderate earthquakes with magnitudes of 5.7 and 5.8 striking the northwestern province of Qinghai.

Sources: Beta, HRT Vijesti