Kumamoto earthquake death toll reaches 39 after three weeks

Three weeks after the Kumamoto earthquake, the death toll has reached 39 people. The disaster caused damage to approximately 32,000 buildings, and roughly 3,000 people remain in evacuation centers.

In Yatsushiro City, where a seismic intensity of 6-upper was recorded, 79-year-old Fujio Omura shared his experience of losing his wife, Toyoko, during the quake. Toyoko fell into a nearby irrigation canal while tending to flowers and subsequently drowned. Mr. Omura, who had been working with his wife to transform a local path into a flower garden to beautify the community, is now navigating life without her and seeking new ways to move forward despite the loss.