Elderly woman dies of heatstroke after sleeping in car post-Kumamoto quake

Following the powerful magnitude-7.1 earthquake that rattled Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday, a woman in her seventies was found sleeping in her car after the vehicle ran out of gasoline. She was later pronounced dead from suspected heatstroke, which officials consider the first possible disaster-related death from the event. The prefectural government now counts 38 fatalities, including the woman, while two additional cases are still being examined for a direct link to the quake.

The number of individuals in serious condition has risen to 12, up from 11 the previous day. Over 9,000 people continue to stay in evacuation shelters or other temporary accommodations. The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded the maximum intensity level of 7 in the cities of Uki and Hikawa, where shaking was strong enough to force people to crawl or be thrown about.