Tuesday marks eight years since a second massive earthquake hit Japan's southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto.
The tremor, with an intensity of seven on Japan's seismic scale of zero to seven, struck the town of Mashiki on April 16, 2016. This occurred just two days after the first jolt with the same intensity.
Officials say the total number of deaths has reached 276, including people who died later from health problems or other causes related to the series of earthquakes.
In the Aso region, the Aso Ohashi Bridge collapsed after major landslides, which also severed national highways. The Minami-aso Railway suspended its services due to damage caused by the quakes.
The Shin-Aso Ohashi Bridge opened five years after the disaster, and the Minami-aso Railway resumed full operations in July last year, marking major milestones in reconstruction efforts.
Yamato Hikaru was a 22-year-old university student when he died in a massive landslide triggered by the earthquake. He was driving a car near the landslide site when the bridge over the national highway collapsed.
Early on Tuesday morning, his parents visited the site, laid flowers and lit a candle. They offered silent prayers at the exact time when the quake occurred.
His father, Yamato Takuya, said that they wanted to pray for Hikaru to feel some of the experiences that his late son went through.
He said that eight years have passed by so quickly but they believe Hikaru has always been watching over them.