Authorities have rushed to assess the damage, but persistent aftershocks (about 130) and debris have hampered rescue efforts.
The provisional balance of fatalities from the earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 The number of people hit on Japan’s west coast over New Year’s Day has risen to 30 as authorities continue rescue efforts after an earthquake caused significant property damage.
Most of the victims have been recorded in Wajima town (15), Ishikawa Prefecture, although deaths have also been recorded in Suzu (6), Nanao (5), Anamizu (2), Hakui (1) and Shika (1). , although the effects extend to Niigata, Fukui, Toyama and Gifu prefectures, as reported by the Kiodo News Agency.
Authorities have rushed to assess the damage, but persistent aftershocks (some 130 aftershocks have been recorded) and debris have hampered rescue efforts. As a result of the earthquake, several buildings collapsed and a large-scale fire broke out near a market in Wajima, burning about 200 buildings.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has withdrawn its tsunami warning, hours after suspending the “major tsunami warning”, although it urged people to exercise caution at sea as tide levels are likely to change in the coming days. The earthquake has also affected the transport network and some high-speed lines and flights in the area have been suspended.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has convened an “emergency response headquarters” under his leadership and announced the mobilization of the country’s security and emergency forces, while confirming “extremely large-scale damage, including numerous human casualties, building collapses and fires.”
“The first thing we have to do is understand the situation on the ground. We have been doing our best to gather information since last night, but road closures have made it extremely difficult to enter the northern part of the Noto Peninsula.” he explained. .
Kishida, who has estimated the number of soldiers who participated in the rescue operations at a thousand, has stated that “as time passes, the effect of the disaster is becoming more and more apparent” and has warned that “saving the lives of victims of the disaster a race against time.
The earthquake, with a hypocenter about ten kilometers deep, was the most intense of the series of twenty earthquakes recorded between 8:06 a.m. and 9:29 a.m. (Spanish time on the Spanish Peninsula) near the coast of Ishikawa and the neighboring prefecture Niigata. .
Source: EITB
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