A local government official stated that 62 people have died as a result of the strong earthquake that struck central Japan on New Year’s Day. The official also stated that over 300 injuries have been reported, 20 of which are considered severe, according to news agencies. In addition to the destruction of thousands of homes, aftershocks caused some communities to still lack cell phone service, electricity, and water.
The residents lamented their uncertain prospects. It is more than simply a mess, though. There is a see through to the adjacent room because the wall has collapsed. As she cleaned around her home, Miki Kobayashi, an Ishikawa resident, reportedly remarked, “I don’t think we can live here anymore.”
To rescue the earthquake survivors, thousands of Japanese army soldiers, firemen, and police officers from all around the nation have been sent to the Noto peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture, which was the hardest impacted.
Even though the number of casualties progressively increased, it seemed that some of the damage had been mitigated by the early public warnings that were disseminated by phones and broadcasts, as well as the swift action of officials and members of the public.
Since Monday’s initial 7.6-magnitude earthquake, more than 140 tremors have been recorded, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. More powerful shocks could occur in the next few days, the agency has warned.
Aerial imagery from Japanese media outlets revealed extensive destruction in the most affected areas, including highways being covered in landslides, boats being thrown into the sea, and a fire that completely destroyed a portion of Wajima city.
According to sources, Japan is frequently struck by earthquakes due to its location along the Pacific Basin’s “Ring of Fire,” an arc of fault lines and volcanoes.
A catastrophe expert from the University of Tokyo named Toshitaka Katada issued a warning, saying that things are still unstable and uncertain. There had been other earthquakes in northeastern Japan prior to the March 2011 quake and tsunami.
The earthquake occurs during a delicate period for Japan’s nuclear sector, which has been confronted with strong hostility from certain residents ever since the earthquake and tsunami that occurred in 2011 and caused nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima.
Several nuclear plants in the area were reportedly running normally, according to nuclear regulators. Three reactors at a nuclear plant in northeastern Japan melted down and released a significant amount of radioactivity in 2011 as a result of a significant earthquake and tsunami.
Along with lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the northern island of Hokkaido and the remainder of the western coast of Japan’s main island Honshu, the Japan Meteorological Agency also issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa on Monday.
People gathered in community centres, auditoriums, and schools after being forced from their homes. Although bullet trains in the area were suspended, by Tuesday afternoon most of them were back in operation. Road segments were blocked.
