Damage is seen at a metalworking factory in Kumamoto. VNA/VNS Photo

TOKYO – No additional Vietnamese casualties had been reported in the earthquake in Japan's Kumamoto prefecture as of late July 29, according to the Vietnamese Consulate General in Fukuoka.

Vietnamese nationals in the affected zone are largely safe, though many are in urgent need of support, particularly access to drinking water and food supplies.

The same day, Consul Vũ Văn Trường, representing the Vietnamese Consulate General in Fukuoka, met with Tonan Group and representatives of the Kumamoto Hiro Zukuri labour union at the headquarters of Kyushu formed steel processing company, a Tonan affiliate.

After touring the site, Truong thanked the company and labour union for offering the best possible conditions to Vietnamese trainees working there.

He separately met with the family of Trần Văn Sơn, the Vietnamese trainee killed in the quake. The company and labour union that dispatched him to Japan pledged to maximise insurance payouts and confirmed they would press ahead with procedures to repatriate his body in accordance with the family’s wishes.

Son’s body remains in the custody of local police. With personnel deployed flat-out on relief operations, police lack the staffing to carry out a forensic examination, determine the cause of death and issue a death certificate.

Truong continued the same day to meet and assist Vietnamese nationals in Yatsushiro city, where a large number of trainees are sheltering after the earthquake.

As planned on July 29, the Consulate General, together with volunteer associations and groups, distributed relief supplies at five sites hosting the largest concentrations of Vietnamese nationals. The biggest site now hosts roughly 50-60 people. Citizen protection work, assessments of Vietnamese nationals’ situations and needs mapping in each area remain underway.

With labour unions and employers unable to cover all workers’ needs, relief organisations in Kumamoto are rushing to buy and stockpile drinking water and food for dispatch to affected communities.

According to the Kumamoto prefectural authorities, 465 evacuation centres had been opened across the prefecture, sheltering 9,872 people, while around 36,700 households were still without power as of July 29 afternoon. Japanese authorities continue to search for those trapped in affected areas and tally damage to housing and infrastructure. VNS