Japan amid largest earthquake
Four Dead In Japan Largest Earthquake
Four people have been confirmed dead in the powerful earthquake that rocked Japan.
The 7.5-magnitude quake struck the prefecture on the Sea of Japan side of the main island of Honshu on Monday, triggering tsunami waves over a metre high, damaging homes, and setting off a major fire, CNN reports.
Local news agencies report that yesterday’s quakes, the largest of which had a magnitude of 7.6, started a fire and collapsed buildings on the west coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu. It was unclear how many people might have been killed or hurt.
The Japan Meteorological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4pm (6pm AEDT), one of them with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6.
Australian tourists in Myoko for a ski trip felt their hotel shake as the 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck.
“We were all in a little bit of shock and disbelief. It was quite violent as well,” Matt Clayworth said.
Tourist Josie said as an Australian she had no idea what to do when the quakes hit.
“I started walking and then I didn’t know whether to get under a table. I bent down and then someone picked me up and we just went outside,” she said.
The pair along with about 30 other Australians skiing in Akakura Onsen, 150km from the epicentre of the quake, said Japan’s infrastructure was mostly prepared for the tremors.
Australian tourists, Matt Clayworth, his daughter Sophie and their friends Abbey and Josie (9News)
“The buildings are very strong here. All the staff are incredibly help in terms of making sure we’re all OK and all warm,” Clayworth said.
“It was minus 2 degrees when we ran outside. Some of us wearing thongs and not very much!”
Clayworth added some roads and bullet trains aren’t running as a result of the quakes.
Four people reported dead
Local news agency Kyodo has reported at least four people have died in the earthquake-hit area.
The agency also reported that authorities are aware of at least six cases where people had been buried alive or trapped under collapsed houses.
Full extent of damage yet to be revealed
At least six homes were damaged by the quakes, with people trapped inside, government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said.
A fire broke out in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, and electricity was out for more than 30,000 households, he said.
The agency initially issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of the island of Honshu, as well as the northernmost of its main islands, Hokkaido.
The warning was downgraded to a regular tsunami several hours later, meaning the waters could still reach up to three metres.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV initially warned torrents of water could reach as high as five metres and urged people to flee to high land or the top of a nearby building as quickly as possible.
Aftershocks could also slam the same area over the next few days, the weather bureau warned.
A house is damaged by an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan on Monday, January 1, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)
NHK said the tsunami waves could keep returning, and warnings were continuing to be aired more than an hour after the initial alert.
Several aftershocks also rocked the region.
Hayashi told reporters nuclear plants in the area had not reported any irregularities.
He stressed it was still critical for people in coastal areas to get away from the oncoming tsunami.
“Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately,” Hayashi said.
People were evacuated to stadiums, where they will likely have to stay for a few days.
Japan’s military was taking part in the rescue efforts, he said.
Residents returning to get their wallets and other belongings have been known to be swept away and drowned even hours after the first evacuation warning.
Japanese media footage showed people running through the streets, and red smoke spewing from a fire in a residential neighbourhood.
Photos showed a crowd of people, including a woman with a baby on her back, standing by huge cracks that had ripped through the pavement.
Some people sustained minor injuries when they tripped and fell while fleeing, or objects fell off shelves and hit them, according to NHK.
Bullet trains in the area were halted. Parts of the highway were also closed, and water pipes had burst, according to NHK. Some cell phone services in the region weren’t working.
Bullet trains in the area were halted, although some parts of the service were restored by evening. Parts of the highway were also closed, and water pipes had burst, according to NHK. Some cell phone services in the region weren’t working.
The Meteorological Agency said in a nationally broadcast news conference that more major quakes could hit the area over the next week, especially in the next two or three days.
Risk of landslides, house collapse
More than a dozen strong quakes had been detected in the region, with risks of setting off landslides and houses collapsing, according to the agency.
Takashi Wakabayashi, a worker at a convenience store in Ishikawa Prefecture, said some items had tumbled from the shelves, but the biggest problem was the huge crowd of people who had shown up to stock up on bottled water, rice balls and bread.
“We have customers at three times the level of usual,” he said.
Tsunami warnings were also issued for parts of North Korea and Russia.
Russian officials issued a tsunami alert for the island of Sakhalin, warning that areas across the island’s west coast could be affected by the waves.
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In nearby South Korea, the weather agency urged residents in some eastern coastal towns to watch for possible changes in sea levels. Tsunami waves that hit later later can be bigger than the initial ones.
The Japanese government set up a special emergency centre to gather information on the quakes and tsunami and relay them speedily to residents to ensure safety, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.
He reiterated the warning for immediate evacuation in affected areas.
Japan is an extremely quake-prone nation. In March 2011, a major quake and tsunami caused meltdowns at a nuclear plant.
The latest warning was the first time since the 2011 disaster that a tsunami warning of this magnitude was issued.
Government spokesman Hayashi told reporters that nuclear plants in the affected area had not reported any irregularities on Monday.
Nuclear regulators said no rises in radiation levels were detected at the monitoring posts in the region.