The death toll from a powerful earthquake in south-western Japan rose to 13 on Wednesday, with rescue workers continuing to search for survivors beneath collapsed buildings in the hardest-hit areas.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said authorities had confirmed 13 deaths a day after the magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture on Japan's south-western main island of Kyushu on Tuesday afternoon.
The number of fatalities could rise to several dozen, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported, citing a government official.
The earthquake damaged buildings and roads across the region, while dozens of people were injured, local media reported. Authorities were also searching for people reported missing.
Rescue operations were continuing as emergency crews raced to find survivors trapped under the rubble.
Two women were confirmed dead following an explosion at a shopping centre after the earthquake, while another woman was found unresponsive, Kyodo reported, citing local authorities.
Five other people were rescued with injuries, according to broadcaster NHK.
The blast is believed to have been triggered by a gas leak. NHK aired footage filmed by a motorist showing the explosion, which caused ceilings and walls to collapse and exposed the building's steel framework.
According to the shopping centre's operator, staff and customers had already been evacuated because of the earthquake when the explosion occurred.
A chimney collapsed at a paper factory, where two people were later found in cardiopulmonary arrest, a term commonly used in Japan before death is officially confirmed by a doctor, NHK reported on Wednesday morning.
Kumamoto prefecture was also hit by a magnitude-7.3 earthquake a decade ago that killed dozens of people and forced tens of thousands to evacuate to temporary shelters.