Central Japan shaken by severe series of earthquakes - damage and casualties
The tremors caused by the earthquakes caused houses to shake even in the capital Tokyo, as journalists from the AFP news agency reported. However, the epicenter was much further west around the prefectures of Toyama, Ishikawa and Niigata, where around 33,500 households were without power.
Photos published by the "Yomiuri Shimbun" newspaper from Wajima in Ishikawa Prefecture showed a partially collapsed house and deep cracks in the streets. According to television reports and the local fire department, several houses in Wajima also caught fire. A video was published on the online network X showing a number of collapsed wooden houses.
However, the extent of the damage and the number of possible victims could not initially be quantified. Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi spoke of indications of six people in the rubble of collapsed buildings, but did not provide any further details. The fire department in Wajima said that it had received "numerous" reports of people trapped in collapsed buildings.
According to the government, the operation of nuclear power plants in Japan was not affected by the earthquakes and tidal waves.
The Japanese Meteorological Agency had measured a total of 21 earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 4.0 on the Noto peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture within an interval of just a few minutes and a half. The most severe quake occurred at around 4.10 pm (local time, 8.10 am CET) and, according to the authorities, had a magnitude of 7.6. The US earthquake observatory USGS gave the magnitude as 7.5.
In view of the tsunami risk, residents of the affected areas were urged on Japanese television and radio stations to seek immediate safety in higher areas.
However, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center based in the US state of Hawaii gave the all-clear for tsunami waves during the course of the day. The threat was "largely over", it said on Monday.
The highest tsunami waves of 1.20 meters had previously been measured in the port of Wajima on the Noto peninsula. A state of alert had also been declared in Russia on the island of Sakhalin and in the city of Vladivostok due to possible tsunamis.
Major roads were closed near the epicenter of the severe quake. The Shinkansen high-speed trains between Tokyo and Ishikawa Prefecture have also been suspended, according to Japanese Railways.
Japan is located on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur frequently in this area. For this reason, strict building regulations apply in Japan and earthquake drills are held regularly.
On March 11, 2011, the east coast of Japan was hit by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and a tsunami. The natural disaster claimed the lives of 18,000 people. The tsunami also hit the Fukushima nuclear power plant, causing huge explosions and a meltdown in three reactors. It was the world's worst nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.
At the beginning of May 2023, Ishikawa Prefecture was shaken by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake. One person was killed and 49 others were injured.
Read also:
- This will change in December
- Fireworks and parties ring in 2024 - turn of the year overshadowed by conflicts
- Attacks on ships in the Red Sea: shipping companies avoid important trade route
- Houthi rebels want to launch further attacks despite international coalition
Source: www.stern.de
