Earthquake in Japan: 90-year-old found alive, 222 people still missing
A 90-year-old man managed to be pulled alive from the rubble of the earthquake that caused at least 126 deaths in central Japan on January 1, but rescue operations were made more difficult by snowfall on Sunday.
The 7.5 magnitude earthquake that devastated the Noto Peninsula on the western coast of the archipelago on the western coast of the Sea of Japan left 560 injured and 222 missing, mostly in the cities of Wajima and Suzu, according to a report New report announced Sunday morning by local authorities.
On Saturday, a 90-year-old woman was found alive in the rubble of her collapsed house in Suzu, at the tip of the peninsula, five days after the disaster.
She was conscious and could clearly answer questions when she was rescued and taken to hospital for treatment, public broadcaster NHK said.
“Hold on!”, rescuers shouted to him in the rain, in a video shot by the police and broadcast by local media. “Everything will be fine!”, “stay positive”.
A Tokyo police spokesperson confirmed to AFP that the rescue was carried out by police officers from Tokyo and Fukuoka (southwest), without providing further details.
The earthquake, followed by hundreds of aftershocks, caused the collapse of buildings and roads, a thousand landslides and fires, especially in Wajima, where authorities believe many residents are still under the rubble.
The tremor, felt as far away as Tokyo, 300 kilometers away, also triggered a tsunami, with waves more than a meter high.
Rescue workers continue their efforts to save people still missing and isolated due to earthquake-damaged roads and to deliver food and equipment to refugees.
According to the Ishikawa department on Saturday, more than 30,000 people took refuge in 366 government shelters.
– Heavy snow expected –
However, weather conditions are expected to worsen from Sunday, with rain and heavy snow in some places, and the Japan Meteorological Agency also warns of the risk of hypothermia.
Also on Sunday, new landslides due to rainfall are feared and the presence of ice will further complicate traffic on the roads damaged by the earthquake.
Because of poor road conditions, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces sent a small group of soldiers on foot to each of the isolated communities and deployed helicopters, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told NHK on Sunday.
“In parallel with these efforts, it is necessary to improve the housing and health conditions of people affected by the disaster” because this situation is destined to continue, Kishida added, believing that “sustained and long-term efforts” will provide breathing space. be necessary to rebuild devastated areas.
About 20,000 homes remained without electricity in Ishikawa on Sunday morning.
This earthquake is the first to cause the death of over 100 people in Japan since the devastating Kumamoto (southwest) earthquake which caused 276 deaths in 2016.
Located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Japan is one of the countries with the most frequent earthquakes.
The archipelago is haunted by the memory of the terrible 9.0 magnitude earthquake followed by a gigantic tsunami in March 2011 on the north-eastern coast, a disaster that left around 20,000 people dead or missing.
This disaster also led to the Fukushima nuclear accident, the worst since Chernobyl in 1986.
Do you have a real estate project in mind? Yakeey and Médias24 help you make it happen!
2024-01-07 05:02:52
#Earthquake #Japan #90yearold #alive #people #missing