Rescue teams free victims as power and water services stay disrupted

Emergency response teams have rescued dozens of trapped individuals in the aftermath of the Kumamoto quake, but critical infrastructure remains crippled. Approximately 79,700 homes are still without water, and there is no timetable for restoring supply in affected municipalities. On Thursday, about 19,000 households were also without electricity. Kyushu Electric Power expects that repairs, if carried out according to plan, could bring power back by Friday evening. Search operations continue around the Aeon Mall in Kashima Town, where a blast after the quake left five people injured and seven dead.