At least 48 people were killed after a powerful earthquake struck Japan on New Year’s Day, making it the worst earthquake to hit Japan since at least 2016. Rescue teams were struggling to reach isolated areas on Tuesday, the 2nd of January, where buildings, roads had collapsed and power was cut to tens of thousands of homes, reports Reuters.
The earthquake, which had an initial magnitude of 7.6, began on Monday afternoon, forcing evacuations in coastal areas as tsunami waves hit Japan’s west coast, submerging cars and houses.
Tsunami warnings are in place for all prefectures with coasts facing the Sea of Japan. Japanese TV urging people to run immediately to higher ground! This is serious. 5m waves expected in Ishikawa. #japan #earthquake pic.twitter.com/UujtA9QuZV
— Maahi (@Maahi03111699) January 1, 2024
A 3 000-strong rescue team of army soldiers, firefighters and policemen have been deployed to the earthquake-hit Noto peninsula in Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stressed the urgency of the search and rescue efforts, describing them as a race against time.
Kishida said that it was difficult for rescuers to access the northern tip of the Noto peninsula, where helicopter searches have revealed extensive fires and damage to buildings and infrastructure. About 120 people are waiting for rescue efforts, a government spokesman said, as per Reuters.
Japan Earthquake Update:The death toll from the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan’s west coast on Monday has risen to at least 30, according to Ishikawa prefecture authorities. #JapanEarthquake #Japan #JapanTsunami #japanearthquake2024 #Tsunami pic.twitter.com/26FQCoHWsq
— Disaster Tracker (@DisasterTrackHQ) January 2, 2024
Rail traffic and flights have been suspended in the quake-hit area with more than 500 people trapped at the closed Noto airport due to cracks in the runway and roads and damage to the terminal building.
The mayor of Suzu, near the epicentre of the earthquake, Masuhiro Izumiya, reported that up to 1 000 houses could have been destroyed in the town of just over 5 000 households, describing the situation as catastrophic.
Following the earthquake on Monday evening, the Japanese government ordered the evacuation of around 100 000 people, using sports halls and school gyms as shelters.
Although almost half of them returned home on Tuesday after the tsunami warnings were lifted, some 33 000 households in Ishikawa Prefecture still have no electricity and almost 20 000 households have no water supply.
The earthquake in Japan is a cause of concern for the nuclear sector,
especially after the Fukushima disaster in 2011. Japan’s nuclear regulatory authorities reported that there were no disturbances at nuclear power plants located off the coast of Japan.
The Hokuriku Electric’s Shika plant, which is closest to the epicentre and has been idle since 2011, has also not experienced any radiation leaks, but there have been power outages and oil spills.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, around 200 tremors have been recorded since the earthquake began on Monday, and it warned that more strong temblors could be expected in the coming days, reports Reuters.
Also read: Japan is preparing to release radioactive water into the sea
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