Thousands of survivors of a powerful earthquake in southwestern Japan have spent Friday in crowded shelters or sleeping in cars as they face shortages of water and fuel and punishing summer temperatures that have stoked fears of heat-related illness. The death toll rose to 34, the Kumamoto prefectural government said, as rescuers raced to find those still missing after the quake triggered a mall explosion, toppled a factory chimney and flattened homes. As of Friday, search operations continue, but the number of missing remains unknown. Nearly 80,000 homes are without water.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 has shaken Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu, leaving dozens of people missing or injured. The quake caused part of a shopping center in the town of Kashima to collapse on Tuesday and also a chimney collapsed at a paper factory. A tsunami advisory was issued but quickly lifted. Japan’s prime minister said there's been damage to roads, bridges and buildings. Shinkansen bullet trains and local trains in Kyushu were suspended for safety checks. Authorities said there were no reports of damage to major public facilities or infrastructure, including three nearby nuclear power plants. The Japan Meteorological Agency urges residents to be cautious over the next few days.

A fire has broken out at a shoe factory in China's Fujian province, killing 28 people. Chinese President Xi Jinping has demanded an all-out search and rescue effort and urges a swift investigation. The blaze started at the Huiteng shoe company in Jinjiang, a manufacturing hub for sports shoes. The cause of the fire remains unknown, and it's unclear if more people were injured. Local media reports say people were trapped on the rooftop. Xinhua reports the factory’s owner and others in charge have been arrested, and the company’s accounts have been frozen.