TOKYO – Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said on Thursday that the death toll from the Kumamoto earthquake has risen to 28 as of 6:30 am local time, including those whose deaths are still being investigated for possible links to the disaster. 

At a disaster response headquarters meeting held at 9:30 am local time, Kumamoto Prefecture Government officials said at least one person remains missing as search and rescue operations continue, public broadcaster NHK reported.

According to prefectural officials, 11 people have been rescued so far from Aeon Mall Kumamoto in the town of Kashima, where an explosion occurred after the 7.1-magnitude earthquake.

Of the rescued, five were confirmed dead and one remains in cardiac arrest, while another five sustained injuries. Rescue teams are continuing efforts to free one person who remains trapped, the report said.

Meanwhile, at the Nippon Paper factory in Yatsushiro city, where the earthquake caused a smokestack to collapse, 10 people have been rescued. Eight of them were confirmed dead and two were injured, according to the officials, while one person remains unaccounted for at the site.

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Authorities are continuing search and rescue operations at both locations while assessing the full extent of the damage caused by the earthquake, the report said.