Six people have died after powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake rocks western Japan – as rescuers race against the clock to save those trapped in rubble
At least six people are reported to have died and there are fears that time is running out for any survivors trapped under the rubble after more than 100 tremors rippled through Japan on Monday, including a devastating 7.6 magnitude earthquake.
A major search and rescue operation continued into the early hours of Tuesday, with Japan’s Prime Minister saying that rescue efforts had been made ‘extremely difficult due to damage to roads’ in the Ishikawa prefecture, near the epicentre of the quake. The main highway through the district was completely closed, according to reports.
Around 2,500 emergency responders were scrambled from big cities to help in the search operation in the impacted coastal area, Nikkei Asia reports, with regional Governor Hiroshi Hasthat reportedly telling them that the first 24 hours is crucial in the rescue operation.
Officials in Ishikawa prefecture confirmed four fatalities early Tuesday, according to the Kyodo news agency. The government said it was still assessing the extent of damage from the quake, which shook apartments in the capital Tokyo some 300 kilometres (190 miles) away.
Tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate, according to the country’s fire and disaster management agency, cited by Kyodo. About 1,000 people were staying at a military base, the defence ministry said.
Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said that there were reports that six people were in the rubble of collapsed buildings, but gave no further details.
The biggest of the quakes devastated Japan’s main island Honshu, with dozens reported trapped under rubble and tsunami warnings triggered in four countries in the aftermath. They were subesquently downgraded.
As Japan was on high alert on Monday, waves of at least 1.2 metres (four feet) high hit the port of Wajima, and a series of smaller tsunamis were reported elsewhere, including as far away as the northern island of Hokkaido.
Dozens of aftershocks registering between 3.1 and 6 on the Richter scale rang out after the largest quake hit around 4pm local time (7am UK time), with Wajima City’s Fire Department in Ishikawa reporting it had received more than 30 reports of collapsed buildings, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.
Videos shared on social media and broadcast on Japanese TV showed how structures had crumbled in Suzu, a city close to the epicentre of the largest quake, with thick cracks appearing in roads. The tremors triggered a huge fire in Wajima, with shocking footage showing massive flames engulfing residential buildings according to local broadcasters.
Other clips showed terrified shoppers thrown to the ground in department stores and flooding at a train station after water pipes burst. The earthquake struck as millions of Japanese flocked to temples to mark the New Year, and temple-goers were seen in footage crouching in fear as chunks of rock tumbled to the ground before them.
