Japan quake survivors face freezing rain, threat of landslides
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Follow topic:
KASHIMAJI, Japan - Rescuers raced against the clock on Jan 3 searching for survivors of an earthquake in western Japan that killed at least 65 people, while evacuees waited for further aid amid freezing temperatures and heavy rain.
The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6
Heavy rain was forecast on Jan 3, raising fears of landslides, which could hinder efforts to free people trapped under the rubble, the authorities said.
Severed roads, damaged infrastructure and the remote location of the hardest-hit areas have complicated rescue efforts. The full extent of damage and casualties remains unclear.
Satellite images from Maxar Technologies showed extensive damage in coastal areas, revealing destroyed buildings and capsized boats.
In Suzu, a town of 13,000 people near the quake’s epicentre, 90 per cent of houses may have been destroyed, its mayor said on Jan 2, calling the damage “catastrophic”.
Ishikawa prefecture has confirmed 65 deaths, up from 55 on Jan 2, making the earthquake the deadliest in Japan since at least 2016.
Some cities have reported additional deaths, putting the total number of fatalities at 73, according to Kyodo news agency.
Smaller quakes continue to hit the peninsula.
Firefighters from Osaka and Nara prefectures pressed on despite the rain and aftershocks in hard-hit Wajima city, searching for a woman trapped in a wooden structure squashed by a seven-floor building that collapsed sideways.
The rescuers were removing rubble to try to reach the woman, who was not showing any vital signs, a firefighter said.
They dashed out from under the collapsed building as an earthquake warning alarm sounded yet again on the evening of Jan 3.
About 500 tremors have been detected since the first quake on Jan 1, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The government opened a sea route to deliver aid, and larger trucks are now able to reach the more remote areas, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a press conference following a national disaster response meeting. “It’s been over 40 hours since the initial quake. This is a battle against time and I believe now is a crucial moment in that battle.”
No food or water
More than 33,000 people have evacuated their homes, and some areas have no access to water or electricity and have spotty signals, according to Ishikawa prefecture.
The mayors of the hardest-hit cities demanded that the government clear roads and deliver aid swiftly at a regional emergency disaster meeting held on the morning of Jan 3.
“Even those who narrowly escaped death can’t survive without food and water,” said Mr Masuhiro Izumiya, the mayor of Suzu. “We haven’t received a single loaf of bread.”
Mr Shigeru Sakaguchi, the mayor of Wajima city, said he was grateful for the government’s efforts but had received only 2,000 meals for some 10,000 evacuees so far.
“Some people are very cold because there are areas that have no access to electricity and therefore heating,” he said.
Many roads were severed and several areas outside the city centre could be reached only by helicopter, he added.
Survivor Mitsuru Kida, 74, who lives in Wajima city, feared that a return to life as usual will be a time-consuming process.
“The road conditions are terrible. This is the first time the roads have been damaged this badly,” he said at a community building that had been turned into a makeshift evacuation centre.
“I have an impression that most people have yet to regain energy to stand up again at the moment,” he added. REUTERS
