After the severe tremors in Japan, the number of deaths has risen to at least 48. The number of injuries is also increasing. The port city of Wajima on the Noto Peninsula is the worst affected.
For the rescuers it is a fight against time, but for at least 48 people any help comes too late: after the series of earthquakes in Japan, according to official information, they could only be rescued from the rubble dead. It can be assumed that the number will continue to rise. At least 137 people suffered injuries as a result of the first particularly strong quake on New Year’s Day, the Mainichi Shimbun daily reported.
Half of the deaths were recorded in the port city of Wajima on the Noto Peninsula. A huge fire destroyed numerous houses there.
Tsunami warning lifted
The meteorological authority has now lifted a warning about tsunami waves that had been issued the previous day for the entire west coast of Japan. The tremors caused significant damage. According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency, the most severe earthquake had a magnitude of 7.6 – a total of more than 150 other less strong quakes were registered. Around 100,000 people were asked to seek safety on New Year’s Day.
“Fight against time”
The extent of the damage cannot yet be predicted. Emergency services are trying to assess the full extent of the destruction and search for survivors. “The search and rescue of the people affected by the quake is a fight against time,” said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a meeting of the crisis team. “We must rescue them as quickly as possible, especially those trapped under collapsed buildings.” Kishida spoke of “numerous victims” of the natural disaster.
Numerous train connections and flights to the earthquake area were suspended. The airport on the Noto peninsula was closed due to extensive damage and around 500 people were stuck in vehicles in the parking lot, state television broadcaster NHK reported. In the small coastal town of Suzu near the epicenter, up to 1,000 of the 5,000 houses may have been destroyed, according to mayor Masuhiro Izumiya. “The situation is catastrophic,” he said.
Thousands of army personnel, firefighters and police officers from across the country were deployed to the worst-hit area on the relatively remote Noto Peninsula. However, rescue work was hampered by heavily damaged and blocked roads. Numerous houses collapsed or fell victim to fires, streets were torn open, and power went out in tens of thousands of households.
Earthquake in Japan
Shocking moments, damage, power outages
More quakes possible
The meteorological agency warned of further strong quakes this week, especially in the first two or three days after the particularly severe tremor on New Year’s Day.
Japan is an extremely earthquake-prone country. It lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions often occur in this area. In March 2011, a severe earthquake and tsunami led to core meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. No irregularities were reported at the nuclear power plants during the current earthquake.
Charlotte Horn, ARD New Delhi, tagesschau, January 2nd, 2024 5:37 a.m