-min.png)
The confirmed death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck Japan on New Year's Day has risen to 110, marking the sixth day of the search for survivors amid the wreckage of collapsed buildings. The powerful magnitude 7.6 quake struck the west coast, causing widespread destruction to infrastructure and cutting power links to 22,000 homes in the Hokuriku region. Despite the challenges posed by rain hampering rescue efforts, more than 30,000 evacuees await aid.
As of 4 p.m. on Saturday, the Ishikawa government's website reported the death toll at 110, up from 94 the previous day, with over 200 people still missing. This marks the deadliest earthquake in nearly eight years, surpassing the toll of 276 in the 2016 quakes in the southwestern region of Kumamoto.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed his awareness of the extensive damage, urging government officials to expedite emergency efforts to restore trunk roads destroyed by the quake. The Self-Defence Forces of Japan plan to increase rescue staff by 400 to 5,400, with road disruptions posing obstacles to the delivery of relief supplies.
Mudslides, boulders, and road cracks have left many remote communities in Ishikawa prefecture isolated. Helicopters from the Self-Defence Forces airlifted at least 14 residents to safety in Wajima's Fukamimachi district. While evacuation centers in Wajima are providing essentials to the displaced, some residents choose to sleep in their cars due to personal preferences or concerns about living in crowded conditions.
The earthquake's aftermath has left communities grappling with the destruction of homes and infrastructure. Freelance cameraman Masao Mochizuki, 73, expressed gratitude for reopened supermarkets but voiced uncertainty about the road to reconstruction. Displaced individuals like Yutaka Obayashi, 75, and his wife Akiko, 73, are adapting to life in their small vehicle after their home was destroyed.
Weather officials are warning of the potential for heavy snowfall, raising concerns about secondary disasters like landslides. Seismic activity persists, with aftershocks continuing, prompting residents like Ayuko Noto, a priest at Wajima's Juzo shrine, to choose to sleep in cars as a precaution against further major quakes and possible tsunami waves. The uncertainty lingers as the affected communities grapple with the aftermath and brace for potential challenges ahead.
Evon Anak Jerim is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.
