Death toll from Japan earthquake rises to 48
- January 2, 2024
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He Earthquake magnitude 7.6 hit the west coast of central Mexico on Monday Japan at least gone 48 dead, Rescue operations and the search for people trapped under
He Earthquake magnitude 7.6 hit the west coast of central Mexico on Monday Japan at least gone 48 dead, Rescue operations and the search for people trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings continue.
City Wajima, about 500 kilometers from Tokyo Situated very close to the epicenter of the earthquake, it is one of the hardest hit by the earthquake, which caused the collapse of about 25 buildings, many of them private homes, in this city of about 27 thousand inhabitants.
According to the local fire department, which is conducting rescue operations, there may be people under the rubble of 14 of these buildings.
Among the dead, 19 were injured in the city of Wajima. 20 in Suzu, 5 in Nanao, 2 in Anamizu, 1 in Hakui and 1 in Shiga, they are all in the prefecture Ishikawa, which suffered significant structural damage and fires.
In each of these cities, dozens of people were taken to hospitals and rescue efforts are still ongoing, so the death toll is expected to rise in the coming hours.
Images taken by public broadcaster NHC On Tuesday morning, a seven-story building could be seen collapsing and smoke rising in the central area of Wajima, known for its morning market.
A fire has broken out in the prefecture, affecting more than 200 structures and persisting in some areas, although officials say it is unlikely to spread further.
Hard access
Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, This morning he gave a press conference at which he announced that he himself would be responsible for combating natural disasters: “I will be the director general, I will mobilize Coast Guard Self Defense Force Japan, firefighters and police.”
The president also assured that it is extremely difficult for vehicles to access areas in the north of the peninsula. I noticed and that the government had already sent supplies by ship.
Japan’s chief executive urged residents in affected areas to “tread carefully” as “the risk of house collapses and landslides increases in areas where the tremors were strong.”
According to the latest data this afternoon, about 32 thousand people have been evacuated in Ishikawa Prefecture. Toyama and other nearby areas, while air transport and commuter train services remain suspended.
About 1,000 Japanese Self-Defense Forces are taking part in the rescue operations, and at 9:30 a.m. local time (0:30 GMT) today, more 46 thousand people remain evacuated in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures.
The number of homes without electricity, mostly in Ishikawa, is now estimated to be in the tens of thousands.
Finally, sea level rise has been recorded in different places in Japan and even in neighboring South Koreadid not cause significant damage.
Nuclear power plant
Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said today there were no reports of direct damage. nuclear power plant country, in the place that is most vulnerable to the effects of earthquakes.
“We have not received any reports of direct damage from the earthquake or tsunami at the nuclear power plant in the city. Hokuriku Electric Power in the city Shiga, which is closed, and there have been no reports of anomalies at other nuclear power plants,” Hayashi said at a press conference.
Hayashi also updated power outage data and said about 33,000 homes remained without power in the worst-hit Ishikawa prefecture and the surrounding prefecture. Niigata, where tens of thousands of homes also experienced gas and water outages, as well as problems with landline and mobile phone connections.
Monday’s earthquake was Japan’s deadliest since April 2016, when two earthquakes measuring 6.5 and 7.3 struck the Japanese island. Kyushu, and they left fifty men killed and more than a thousand wounded.
Japan is considered the most prepared country in the world to deal with natural disasters due to their frequency. Structures that are resistant to strong earthquakes and vigilant citizens are the main key to their protection.
The 1981 law marked a turning point in the country’s anti-seismic building codes, which have been tightened in recent decades and are, according to experts, the highest in the world.
(EFE)
Source: Aristegui Noticias
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