Authorities have ended a massive search-and-rescue operation at a collapsed shopping mall in southwest Japan following a powerful earthquake that killed 34 people earlier this week. The magnitude 7.1 quake hit Kumamoto on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday. The Aeon Mall in Kashima was one of the hardest-hit sites. An explosion that followed the quake caused its walls and second floor to crumple. Rescuers extracted five people from under mall debris and retrieved the bodies of seven others over the past five days. On Saturday, officials said all missing were accounted for and ended the operation at the Aeon Mall.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 has shaken Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu, leaving dozens of people missing or injured. The quake caused part of a shopping center in the town of Kashima to collapse on Tuesday and also a chimney collapsed at a paper factory. A tsunami advisory was issued but quickly lifted. Japan’s prime minister said there's been damage to roads, bridges and buildings. Shinkansen bullet trains and local trains in Kyushu were suspended for safety checks. Authorities said there were no reports of damage to major public facilities or infrastructure, including three nearby nuclear power plants. The Japan Meteorological Agency urges residents to be cautious over the next few days.

The pilot of a float plane that crashed on a remote island near Washington’s border with Canada changed course to avoid a thunderstorm before it went down. All 11 people on board were injured in the crash Thursday, but a swift rescue by nearby boats and a helicopter crew got everyone safely to hospitals. Kenmore Air, which operated the flight, said Friday the pilot changed the flight path to avoid a weather system. It remains unclear what caused the crash. By Friday afternoon three people remained in hospitals, all in satisfactory condition. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

The wreckage from a Pan Am plane crash in the ocean 74 years ago that helped lead to requirements for the passenger safety briefings on every flight today has been found off the coast of Puerto Rico. The talks flight attendants deliver about how to inflate a life vest or find the exits on a plane that are routine today were developed after 52 people perished aboard Pan Am’s Clipper Endeavor because they didn’t get off the plane before it sank. Explorers used an autonomous sonar drone to find the fuselage and tail of the DC-4 last month under 2,000 feet of water.

New estimates show road deaths are declining in the U.S. and globally. A study published Monday in Lancet Public Health reveals global road injuries and deaths each fell more than 30% from 1990 to 2023. However, progress varies by country, with poorer nations seeing less improvement. In the U.S., traffic deaths rose until 2021 but have since declined. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported fatalities peaked at over 43,000 in 2021 and dropped to about 36,600 last year. The World Health Organization has prioritized road safety for over two decades, and a U.N. meeting this week is addressing this issue.