Japan earthquake: Death toll rises to 30 as ‘battle against time’ to find those trapped | World | News
The death toll from the Japanese earthquake has risen to at least 30 with officials warning people in some areas to stay away from their homes because of a risk of more quakes. Japan‘s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday (January 2): “Saving lives is our priority and we are fighting a battle against time. It is critical that people trapped in homes get rescued immediately.”
Aftershocks continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas a day after a magnitude 7.6 quake hit the area on Monday afternoon.
Thirty people were confirmed dead in Ishikawa, according to officials. They said seven others were seriously injured, while damage to homes was so great it could not be immediately assessed.
Mr Kishida said Japan’s military has sent 1,000 soldiers to the disaster zones to join rescue efforts, stressing they were facing “large-scale damage”. The extent of damage to homes is still being assessed.
Firefighters were able to bring a blaze under control in Wajima city which had reddened the sky with embers and smoke.
Nuclear regulators said several nuclear plants in the region were operating normally. A major quake and tsunami in March 2011 caused three reactors to melt and release large amounts of radiation at a nuclear plant in northeastern Japan.
News footage showed rows of collapsed houses. Some wooden structures were flattened with cars overturned. Half-sunken ships floated in bays where tsunami waves had rolled in, leaving a muddied coastline.
The Japan Meteorological Agency on Monday issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu, as well as for the northern island of Hokkaido.
The warning was downgraded a few hours later, with all tsunami warnings lifted earlier on Tuesday. Waves measuring more than one meter (three feet) hit some places.
The agency warned more major quakes could hit the area over the next few days.
People who were evacuated from their houses have huddled in auditoriums, schools and community centres.
Bullet trains in the region were halted, but services were being restored in some places. Sections of roads were closed, water pipes burst, and mobile phone service was down in some areas.
Weather forecasters predicted rain, setting off worries about already crumbling buildings and infrastructure.
Japan is frequently hit by earthquakes because of its location along the Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
Over the last day, the country has experienced about a hundred aftershocks.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his thoughts were “with all those affected” and urged Britons in the earthquake-hit areas to follow advice given by Japanese authorities.
The comments came shortly after US President Joe Biden said his administration was in touch with officials in Tokyo and “ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Japanese people”.
In a statement on Monday, Mr Sunak said: “My thoughts are with all those affected by the earthquakes in Japan which have caused such terrible damage.
“Prime minister Fumio Kishida is a great friend of the UK and we stand ready to support Japan and are monitoring developments closely.
“British nationals in the affected areas should follow the advice of the Japanese authorities.”