2024-01-04 08:32:01
SUZU, Japan (AP) — With his face hidden under a humble straw hat, the man remained silent as he watched as several helmet-equipped rescuers carefully removed his wife’s body from the rubble, wrapped in blue plastic and on a stretcher.
He dried his face with a cloth. Her eyes were red.
This scene in the city of Suzu was tragically repeated across Ishikawa Prefecture and nearby regions of Japan’s western coast following Monday’s 7.6 magnitude earthquake that flattened homes, twisted and cracked roads and scattered boats across the water as toys, in addition to causing tsunami alerts.
The official death toll stood at 78 people on Thursday.
Ishikawa authorities noted that 44 of the deceased were in the city of Wajima and 23 more in Suzu. The other 11 were reported in five neighboring towns. More than 330 people were injured, at least 25 of them seriously.
The missing went from 15 to 80 during the night, including a 13-year-old boy.
The situation was aggravated by the number of people who were visiting their relatives for the New Year when the earthquake occurred.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reinforced rescue operations with some 3,600 soldiers, in addition to the initial 1,000. His mission is to provide fresh water and hot food to those affected, in addition to providing bathrooms for the 34,000 people who lost their homes and are staying in evacuation centers.
Although Japan is known for its relatively limited emergency disaster relief, basic supplies such as water, food and blankets have been in short supply.
“All we received was a couple of rice balls,” said Yasuo Kobatake, an elderly man who gestured with his hand to show the size of the food. He and his wife have taken refuge in an elementary school converted into a makeshift evacuation center. They only handed him a small half-sized paper cup of water that “disappeared in one sip.”
When the ground shook, Kobatake was regarding to put on his shoes to go out. He ran out of the house barefoot and with only one sock. That first shock was followed by the main, more destructive one, which threw him to the ground. A concrete wall collapsed a few inches from where he stood.
Kobatake can no longer access his destroyed home.
“So here I am with my wife sleeping next to everyone else (who is taking shelter at the school). We talk to each other and try to encourage each other,” she stated, adding that she hopes help is on the way.
But many roads are cut off by landslides or have cracks due to the powerful earthquake, making it difficult for trucks that distribute water and food to reach those who need it. The most affected areas are on the Noto Peninsula, where the epicenter of the earthquake was located, connected by a narrow strip of land to the rest of the island of Honshu, which reduces the number of alternative routes.
Snow is expected for the weekend, making finding those trapped under the rubble even more urgent.
Three days following Monday’s earthquake, rescuers were still pulling people alive from the wreckage. But time is running out. According to experts, the first 72 hours are crucial to finding survivors.
Authorities warned that more tremors and tsunamis might occur and called for extreme caution in the coming days. There were also plans to fly some evacuees to safer areas.
Aftershocks continued to rock coastal areas near the epicenter in Noto, regarding 300 kilometers (185 miles) from Tokyo but on the opposite coast. The quake caused tsunami warnings, followed by waves of more than one meter (3 feet) in some areas. The alerts have now been withdrawn.
Japan is an earthquake-prone nation, with crisscrossing fault lines and volcanoes. A colossal earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster caused widespread damage in the northeast of the country in 2011.
On this occasion, no major problems have been reported at the nuclear power plants.
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Kageyama reported from Tokyo. Haruka Nuga in Bangkok, Thailand, contributed to this report.
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