Japan quake death toll hits 48
The horrific scope of the fire that tore through Wajima, where a seven-story commercial building collapsed, was captured in aerial news footage
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The horrific scope of the fire that tore through Wajima, where a seven-story commercial building collapsed, was captured in aerial news footage
In a race against time and strong aftershocks, Japanese rescuers on Tuesday searched for survivors of the massive earthquake that struck on New Year's Day, killing at least 48 people and causing extensive damage.
The main island of Honshu's Ishikawa prefecture was struck by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that caused more than a meter-high tsunami, collapsed buildings, started a large fire, and destroyed roads.
Buildings on the Noto Peninsula were still burning, homes were destroyed, fishing boats had sunk or washed ashore, and landslides had damaged highways when daylight finally arrived.
"It was such a powerful jolt," Tsugumasa Mihara, 73, told AFP as he queued with hundreds of others for water in the shellshocked town of Shika. "What a terrible way to start the year."
Local authorities put the death toll at 30, half of them in Wajima, but the number was expected to rise.
About 35 Filipinos were evacuated following the earthquake, although no major incidents were reported involving Filipinos, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration said Tuesday in Manila. (See related story)
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"Very extensive damage has been confirmed, including numerous casualties, building collapses, and fires," said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida after a disaster response meeting. "We have to race against time to search for and rescue victims of the disaster."
The horrific scope of the fire that tore through Wajima, where a seven-story commercial building collapsed, was captured in aerial news footage.
According to the local energy provider, nearly 33,000 households in the area lost power overnight as temperatures dropped below freezing. There was no running water in many cities.
The US Geological Survey reported the earthquake's magnitude at 7.5. It was one of over 150 earthquakes that shook the area through Tuesday morning, according to Japan's meteorological agency, which measured it at 7.6.
Early on Tuesday, several powerful shocks were recorded, including one measuring 5.6 that forced national broadcaster NHK to switch to a special show.
"Please take deep breaths," the presenter said, reminding viewers to check for fires in their kitchens.
Tsunami warning lifted
Several smaller tsunamis were reported elsewhere on Monday, and waves measuring at least 1.2 meters (four feet) struck Wajima.
Japan lifted all tsunami warnings on Tuesday after it was determined that the fears of much larger waves were unfounded.
Social media posts featured hysterical people cowering in stores and train stations as vehicles, homes, and bridges in Ishikawa trembled violently.
Some posts showed landslides, housing collapsing and massive cracks forming on roadways.
Television footage showed a group of firefighters crawling under a collapsed commercial building in Wajima searching for survivors.
"Hang in there! Hang in there," they shouted as they battled through piles of wooden beams with an electric saw.
Video footage from the Wajima fire showed dozens of structures engulfed in flames as people, some carrying babies and others with blankets, were evacuated in the dark.
According to NHK, 25 houses had collapsed in the city, 14 of which may have contained people.
Bullet trains suspended
Authorities in Wajima, according to a duty officer, were still swamped with rescue requests and damage reports on Tuesday.
Hiroshi Hase, the governor of Ishikawa, stated on X, formerly Twitter, that landslides and cracks had cut roads in many areas, and "multiple" vessels had capsized in the port of Suzu.
Some 62,000 people were told to leave, per the fire and disaster management agency.
According to the Ministry of Defense, a military base was housing about 1,000 people.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said 1,000 military personnel were preparing to go to the region, while 8,500 others were on standby. Around 20 military aircraft were dispatched to survey the damage.
Monday's quake shook apartments in the capital, Tokyo, about 300 kilometers away, where a public New Year greeting event that was to be attended by Emperor Naruhito and his family was canceled.
Several major highways were closed around the epicenter, Japan's road operator said, and bullet train services from Tokyo were suspended.
Around 500 people were stranded at Noto's damaged airport, with access roads blocked and the runway riddled with cracks.
And some 1,000 people remained stuck in local express trains almost 24 hours after they were halted on Monday, NHK said.
Quakes increasing
Japan experiences hundreds of earthquakes yearly, and the vast majority cause no damage. A Japanese government report said that the number of earthquakes in the Noto Peninsula region has been steadily increasing since 2018.
Japan is haunted by the massive 9.0-magnitude undersea quake off northeastern Japan in 2011, which triggered a tsunami that left around 18,500 people dead or missing. It also swamped the Fukushima atomic plant, causing one of the world's worst nuclear disasters.
Japan's nuclear authority said no abnormalities were reported at the Shika atomic power plant in Ishikawa or other plants after Monday's quake.
With AFP
