Almost 200,000 could die in major tsunami after ‘maximum-class’ quake: Japan authorities
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A tsunami warning flashes, over live footage of a waterfront area, on a television screen in Sapporo, Hokkaido, on Dec 9.
PHOTO: AFP
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TOKYO - Japanese government estimates warn that up to 199,000 people could die from a major tsunami following an earthquake along the Japan and Chishima trenches.
According to the country’s Central Disaster Management Council, maximum-class tsunamis have occurred along the trenches at intervals of about 300 to 400 years.
The most recent one is thought to have been in the 17th century. Experts believe a maximum-class earthquake and tsunami are imminent.
The council’s 2021 damage projection for a 9-magnitude earthquake estimated that tsunamis surging on the Pacific Coast from Hokkaido to Chiba on a winter night – when heavy snow could hinder evacuations – would result in 199,000 deaths from a Japan Trench earthquake and 100,000 from a Chishima Trench earthquake.
Even among those who successfully evacuate, an estimated 42,000 face an increased death risk due to hypothermia after a Japan Trench quake and 22,000 after a Chishima Trench quake.
However, the council stated that fatalities could be reduced by 80 per cent through improved tsunami evacuation awareness. The risk of hypothermia could be eliminated by preparing cold-weather gear and heating equipment.
Professor Masahiro Nemoto of the Japanese Red Cross Hokkaido College of Nursing, a specialist in cold region disaster prevention, said: “We urge residents to prepare waterproof and cold-resistant outerwear, winter boots, gloves and other items so they can evacuate while properly equipped.” THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
