The confirmed death toll from the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck Japan's Kumamoto prefecture on July 28 has risen to 17, as search and rescue operations continued two days later on July 30 at a collapsed shopping centre and a damaged paper mill, local authorities said.

Six people remained unresponsive with no vital signs local reports said – a Japanese media way to say dead or deceased.

According to Kyodo News, Five of the fatalities were at an Aeon shopping centre in Kashima, where an explosion followed the earthquake. Eight others died at Nippon Paper Industries' plant in Yatsushiro, where several smokestacks suffered severe damage, according to the prefectural government.

The Kyushu Shinkansen line between Kumamoto and Kagoshima-Chuo stations remained suspended as the operator continued to assess the damage. It aims to restore services between Chikugo-Funagoya station in Fukuoka prefecture and Kumamoto station later on July 30.

Thousands of households were still without electricity or water as of late July 29, raising concerns over conditions for evacuees.

More than 10,000 people are now staying in evacuation centres, according to the Kumamoto prefectural government. Aftershocks continued across the region following the initial tremor, which struck at 4:27 pm and registered the maximum level of 7 on Japan's seismic intensity scale in the municipalities of Uki and Hikawa. At that intensity, people are unable to remain standing or move without crawling and can be thrown into the air, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.