Death toll from strong earthquake in southwestern Japan rises to 38

The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck Japan's southwestern Kumamoto prefecture last week has risen to 38, as thousands of people remain in evacuation shelters, state media reported on Sunday.

Authorities said they have confirmed the deaths of 36 people while two deaths are still being investigated to determine whether they were caused by last Tuesday's magnitude 7.1 tremor, state broadcaster NHK reported.

More than 9,200 people remain in 210 evacuation shelters, while over 3,400 houses were damaged by the powerful quake.

Tap water was unavailable at more than 69,000 households and businesses in Kumamoto.

Medical facilities hit by the quake are also working to recover.

Officials said that some 30 people with suspected symptoms of heatstroke were transported to hospitals on Saturday, with temperatures in some parts of Kumamoto reaching over 37C (about 99F).

Officials cautioned that the full extent of the damage has yet to be determined and that the number of damaged buildings could rise significantly as inspections continue.

The prefecture's government said search and rescue operations had ended Saturday at an Aeon shopping mall where seven workers died and five were injured in an explosion shortly after the quake struck.

Japan, one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, lies along the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and experiences about 20% of the world's earthquakes measuring magnitude 6.0 or greater.