2024-01-02 01:10:02
The death toll from a series of strong earthquakes on Japan’s west coast has continued to rise. At least eight people were killed in the severely affected Ishikawa Prefecture, the television station NHK reported on Tuesday. In the city of Wajima, dozens of houses burned down in one neighborhood the day before and others collapsed.
Low flames were still burning in places on Tuesday and firefighters were still on duty. Smoke hung over the area. According to the media, several people were injured.
The quake with a magnitude of 7.6 occurred on Monday followingnoon, the epicenter was in the Noto Peninsula region on the Sea of Japan. It destroyed buildings, knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes and caused residents in some coastal areas to flee to higher ground.
The earthquake also triggered tidal waves around one meter high on the west coast of Japan and in neighboring South Korea. Residents along the entire west coast were still urged to exercise caution on Tuesday morning due to the ongoing threat of tsunami waves.
A warning of a five-meter-high tsunami was lifted the day before. The series of quakes continued on Tuesday morning. Buildings in the area of the capital Tokyo, which has a population of millions, also began to sway the day before. High-speed trains were temporarily stopped. More than 90 tremors have been recorded since the first quake struck the remote Noto Peninsula on Monday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The meteorological authority warned of further strong quakes this week, especially in the next two or three days.
However, the exact extent of the damage and the death toll were still unclear a day following the disaster, as key roads leading to the worst-hit areas were badly damaged, hampering rescue work. The army was deployed to support the rescue work. However, there were no irregularities in nuclear power plants.
The Imperial Household Agency said it would cancel the New Year’s appearance of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako scheduled for Tuesday following the disaster.
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