Rescuers search for the missing after Japan earthquake as death toll rises to 13

Soldiers and emergency workers combed through a badly damaged shopping mall and collapsed houses looking for trapped survivors Wednesday after a powerful earthquake that killed at least 13 people.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3968x2726+0+0/resize/3968x2726!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffc%2F36%2Fd660d94d4cd7a7353454fa34ec86%2Fap26210157559813.jpg' alt='This aerial image shows a damaged chimney of the Nippon Paper Industries Co.'s Yatsushiro factory, following an earthquake in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, Wednesday, July 29, 2026.'/><p>Soldiers and emergency workers combed through a badly damaged shopping mall and collapsed houses looking for trapped survivors Wednesday after a powerful earthquake that killed at least 13 people.</p><p>(Image credit: Naoki Hiraoka)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5911613' />