TOKYO, August 8. /TASS/. The death toll from the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyushu Island on July 28 has risen to 39, local authorities said.

A total of 23 people, who were seriously wounded in the disaster, remain in hospitals.

Almost 6,600 displaced persons are still staying in emergency shelters. Over 18,000 buildings have been damaged. The rescue and recovery effort is hampered by scorching heat, which reaches 40 degrees Centigrade in daytime.

Amid the heat wave, electricity supplies have been restored in Kumamoto, allowing to turn on climate control in shelters and residential buildings. However, water supply to 36,000 households is yet to be restored. Water is being delivered to affected residents by the army’s tank trucks.