Rescue workers in Japan are facing very unfavorable weather on Wednesday, while they are still trying to find survivors of the terrible earthquake which hit the center of the country on Monday, killing at least 62 people according to a new provisional toll.
Authorities warned of heavy rain all day and possible landslides throughout the disaster zone, the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, a long, thin strip of land that extends into the Sea of Japan . “Be vigilant for landslides until Wednesday evening,” warned the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
The toll could rise further
Some areas were made unstable by the main earthquake which occurred on New Year’s Day at 4:10 p.m. (07:10 GMT), reaching a magnitude of 7.5 according to the United States Institute of Geophysics (USGS) and 7.6 according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). Several hundred other tremors have been felt – some also strong – since this earthquake, and a tsunami followed with waves of more than a meter which hit the coasts, damaging roads and seaside homes Hundreds of buildings on the Noto peninsula were completely or partially destroyed by the disaster.
An official from the Ishikawa department, interviewed on Wednesday, but who did not wish to give his name, announced “62 deaths” and mentioned more than 300 injured, including 20 serious.
This toll could rise further, because research is expected to last a long time in these rural areas with villages that are difficult to access, especially due to the state of the roads. Many people could still be trapped in the rubble of their homes, according to NHK television channel.
“90% of houses are totally or almost completely destroyed” in the town of Suzu
More than 31,800 people are taking refuge in shelters, according to authorities, and nearly 34,000 homes are still without electricity in Ishikawa department. Many are also deprived of running water.
Masuhiro Izumiya, the mayor of Suzu, said that “virtually no houses were still standing” in this small town at the far tip of the Noto Peninsula, according to television channel TBS. “Approximately 90% of the houses are totally or almost completely destroyed (…). The situation is catastrophic,” he added.
The Shinkansen are back in service
“With an earthquake of magnitude 7.5, we should expect to have aftershocks for several months,” geologist Robin Lacassin, research director at CNRS, told AFP on Tuesday.
Shinkansen, Japan’s high-speed trains, have resumed service in central Japan since Tuesday after some 2,400 passengers spent hours stuck on the tracks or in stations. The region’s highways have also reopened.
Located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Japan is one of the countries with the most frequent earthquakes in the world.