Japan experienced several aftershocks that threatened to bury more houses and block roads for rescue and relief operations as the death count from a series of earthquakes on New Year's Day rose to 126 on Saturday. A five-year-old boy was among the deceased, who was recovering from injuries after boiling water spilt on him during the 7.6-magnitude earthquake.
As rescue operations continued, officials warned that roads, already cracked from the dozens of earthquakes that continue to shake the area, could collapse completely. That risk was growing with rain and snow expected overnight and on Sunday.
Wajima city has recorded the highest number of deaths with 69, followed by Suzu with 38 casualties. More than 500 people were injured, at least 27 of them seriously. Additionally, more than 200 people remained missing and 11 people were reported trapped under two collapsed houses in Anamizu.
The earthquake with a 7.6-preliminary magnitude destroyed several buildings, caused fires and knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes, prompting residents in some coastal areas to flee to higher ground. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) initially issued a major tsunami warning - its first since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck northeast Japan killing nearly 20,000 people - for Ishikawa prefecture.
What is the situation now?
More than 30,000 evacuees awaited crucially-needed aid as rain hampered relief efforts. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told government officials to speed up emergency efforts to restore trunk roads ripped up by the quake so that rescue and relief activities can be increased.
Japan's Self-Defence Forces is also set to reinforce the number of rescue staff by 400 to 5,400, with road disruptions among the obstacles hindering the delivery of relief supplies. Mudslides, boulders and road cracks left dozens of remote communities in Ishikawa prefecture isolated.
Seismic rumbles continue in the area, with an earthquake of intensity 5.0 on Japan's seismic scale in the town of Anamizu reported early on Saturday. The urgency of the rescue operations intensified as the days wore on, with some people resorting to sleeping in their vehicles.
Along Japan’s coastline, power was gradually being restored, but water supplies were still short. Emergency water systems were also damaged. The nationally circulated Yomiuri newspaper reported that its aerial study had located more than 100 landslides in the area, and some were blocking lifeline roads.
In an unusual gesture from nearby North Korea, leader Kim Jong Un sent a message of condolence to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the Korean Central News Agency reported on Saturday. Some believe that North Korea intends to establish Kim's image as a normal leader and to weaken Japan-South Korea-US cooperation.
Earthquakes in Japan
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The island nation sits on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire"-- a term coined to refer to the Circum-Pacific Belt. Simply put-- it is a path along the Pacific Ocean characterised by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. According to scientists, the majority of Earth’s volcanoes and earthquakes take place along the "Ring of Fire".
The country has a history of deadly earthquakes wherein lakhs of people were killed in the past century. Similar figures also witnessed serious injuries. A magnitude 9.0 quake on March 11, 2011, off Japan’s northeastern coast, triggered a massive tsunami, killed roughly 20,000 and triggered a nuclear disaster.
(with inputs from agencies)
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