Japan: Major tsunami warning issued after powerful tremors hit Ishikawa
Japan’s prime minister Fumio Kishida said rescuers were in a “battle against time” as the death toll from the series of strong earthquakes rose to 30.
A magnitude of 7.6 jolted Japan on Monday afternoon damaging buildings and roads, which also prompted the country to issue tsunami warnings along the coast. The tsunami warnings were later lifted on early Tuesday morning.
Emergency services rushed to rescue people trapped under rubble in Ishikawa prefecture on the main central island of Honshu on New Year’s Day after buildings collapsed.
Thousands of army personnel, firefighters and police officers from have been dispatched to the worst-hit area in the relatively remote Noto peninsula.
“The search and rescue of those impacted by the quake is a battle against time,” prime minister Fumio Kishida said during an emergency disaster meeting.
He added that rescuers were finding it very difficult to reach the northern tip of the peninsula due to wrecked roads, and that helicopter surveys had discovered many fires and widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure.
The Meteorological Agency said in a news conference that more major quakes could hit the area over the next week, especially in the next two or three days.
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Thousands of houses destroyed in Japan
Thousands of houses were destroyed by the powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake that jolted Japan on Monday.
In Suzu alone, a coastal town of just over 5,000 households near the quake’s epicentre, there may have been up to 1,000 houses destroyed, said mayor Masuhiro Izumiya.“The situation is catastrophic,” he said.
Across Ishikawa prefecture, authorities have confirmed 30 deaths so far, with half of those in Wajima, another hard-hit city in the remote northern tip of the peninsula.
In Wajima, a seven-story building toppled over sideways while a central area known for its morning market was gutted by a large blaze.
Firefighters have been battling blazes in several cities and trying to free more people trapped in collapsed buildings, fire management authorities said.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar2 January 2024 07:50
Flight operations at Noto Airport cancelled
Flight operations at the airport in Japan’s Noto Peninsula have been cancelled due to damages to its runway, terminal and access roads following a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that jolted Ishikawa prefecture on New Year’s Day.
At least 500 people have been stranded inside vehicles in the airport car park since the earthquake occurred.
Blankets and food have been provided to employees and passengers who have taken refuge in the parking area, Japan News reported.
Additional flights would be operated between Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and Komatsu Airport in Ishikawa Prefecture on Tuesday, authorities said.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar2 January 2024 07:20
Watch | Passengers run for cover as train station shakes and water pours through ceiling
Japan earthquake: Passengers run for cover as train station shakes and water pours through ceiling
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar2 January 2024 06:50
Joe Biden says US ‘ready to provide necessary assistance’ to Japan
US president Joe Biden on Monday said his administration was “ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Japanese people” after the country was hit by tsunami waves following a strong 7.6 earthquake.
“As close allies, the United States and Japan share a deep bond of friendship that unites our people. Our thoughts are with the Japanese people during this difficult time,” he said.
Japan’s military has dispatched 1,000 soldiers to the disaster zones to join rescue efforts, prime minister Fumio Kishida said, stressing they were facing “large-scale damage”.
Firefighters and police officers were also part of the search and rescue teams.
Details of damaged homes were still under investigation, he said.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar2 January 2024 06:20
Tsunami warnings force thousands to flee homes in Japan
The death toll has risen to 13 as rescuers faced what prime minister Fumio Kishida described as a “battle against time” to reach more trapped under collapsed buildings following the 7.6 magnitude quake, which sent one metre-high tsunami waves crashing onto the western coast.
More than 140 aftershocks continued to rock Japan as of Tuesday morning, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, which warned that strong tremors could continue in the coming days.
Hundreds of buildings have collapsed in earthquake-hit areas, including in Niigata, Toyama, Fukui and Gifu prefectures, leaving many injured.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar2 January 2024 05:50
Aftershocks continues to shake Ishikawa prefecture
Aftershocks continued to shake Japan’s Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas, a day after the region was jolted by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that killed at least 24 people.
Eight people were confirmed dead in Wajima city near the quake’s epicentre where a massive blaze broke out on Monday, officials said.
More than 140 tremors have been detected since the quake first hit on Monday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, which warned of more strong shocks in the coming days.
A quake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 shook the area as prime minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday conducted an emergency meeting.
People make their way near a collapsed building due to an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan
(AP)
A man carries his belongings past a collapsed house following an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture
(AP)
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar2 January 2024 05:20
Death toll in Japan earthquake rises to 30
At least 30 people have now been confirmed killed in the strong earthquake that jolted Japan on New Year’s Day, prompting authorities to evacuate thousands of people and issue a tsunami warning.
A 7.6 earthquake struck the Ishikawa prefecture on Monday, destroying houses and tearing up roads on the Noto peninsula, making it difficult for rescuers to reach the worst-affected areas.
Rescue teams on Tuesday struggled to get to the northern-most tip of the peninsula as well as other isolated areas hit by the tremor.
Some rail services, ferries and flights remained cancelled.
Over 200 buildings in the central Wajima area near the epicentre were charred by a fire that erupted in the wake of the earthquakes, Ishikawa prefectural officials said.
There have been 14 reports of people being trapped under rubble in the city, Kyodo News reported, citing city officials.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar2 January 2024 05:04
Tsunami warnings lifted in Japan
The tsunami warnings issued in Japan following a strong 7.6 magnitude earthquake were lifted early on Tuesday morning.
A series of earthquakes and aftershocks jolted the Ishikawa prefecture on Monday afternoon, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue a major tsunami warning for the prefecture and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu and Hokkaido in the north.
Following the earthquakes, waves measuring more than 3 feet hit some places on Monday.
The tsunami warning was downgraded several hours later, and all tsunami warnings were lifted as of early Tuesday.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar2 January 2024 04:50
Water from Japan’s nuclear plant spills over during strong earthquake
Water containing radioactive materials from the fuel pools of two reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture spilled over during Monday’s earthquake, the authorities said.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (Tepco) later said the spill was contained inside the building and no damage outside was reported.
The incident took place just days after Japan’s nuclear power regulator lifted an operational ban on the power plant, which had been in place for nearly two years.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority said no irregularities were found at nuclear plants along the Sea of Japan, including five active reactors at Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi and Takahama plants in Fukui Prefecture.
Hokuriku Electric’s Shika plant, the closest to the epicentre, had already halted its two reactors before the quake for regular inspections and saw no impact from the tremors, the agency said.
A major quake and tsunami in March 2011 caused three reactors to melt and release large amounts of radiation at the Fukushima nuclear plant in northeastern Japan.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar2 January 2024 04:20
Pics | Houses and roads damaged in Japan following strong earthquake
Collapsed houses are seen after multiple strong earthquakes the previous day on 2 January in Wajima, Ishikawa, Japan
(The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Imag)
A view of a road collapsed by strong earthquakes in Shika, central Japan
(EPA)
Smoke rise as fire continues after multiple strong earthquakes hit the area on 2 January
(The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Imag)
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar2 January 2024 03:50