Aid reaches Kyushu quake survivors as volunteers join recovery

Nearly two weeks after a powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Japan's southern main island of Kyushu, relief operations are gaining momentum with volunteers arriving from across the country and aid supplies being delivered to affected areas.

In Uki, one of the hardest-hit towns in Kumamoto Prefecture, more than 100 volunteers queued at a registration camp to receive their assigned tasks. Local welfare authorities said a pre-registration system was launched on 1 August, with volunteers dispatched to the city hall to help unload aid from the following day. Between 150 and 200 volunteers have been signing up daily since 6 August.

The U.S. Forces Japan said about 33,000 bottles of drinking water were airlifted on Sunday to the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force's Vice Camp Takayubaru in Kumamoto, adding to the ongoing relief effort.

Meanwhile, dramatic footage from a camera installed in an operating theatre at Kumamoto General Hospital in Yatsushiro captured the moment the earthquake struck. The video shows medical staff shielding a patient while a nurse runs to secure an evacuation route. The hospital confirmed that all four operations underway at the time were successfully completed. Normal outpatient services resumed on 5 August.

Authorities report the earthquake left 38 people dead and 114 injured across Kumamoto. Around 700 homes were destroyed, and more than 11,300 buildings sustained damage, according to the prefectural government.