Up to 23 feared dead in Japan quake

The Kumamoto disaster management office's latest tally put fatalities at 17 and those without vital signs at six, with five more in critical condition two days after the 7.1-magnitude tremor.

Hundreds of rescue workers were meanwhile battling for another day to reach possible survivors in the remains of the Aeon shopping mall in Kashima in the Kumamoto region of southwestern Japan.

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