The death toll from earthquakes on Japan’s west coast on New Year’s Day has risen further, with authorities reporting 64 deaths. This makes the earthquakes the deadliest in the country since 2016.
The quakes had a magnitude of 7.6. Due to the large size, the total damage is still difficult to estimate, but… Japanese media talk about tens of thousands of destroyed homes and more than thirty thousand displaced people. In some areas there is still no water, electricity or active telephone network.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks of a “race against time” to find survivors under the rubble. Around the epicenter on the Noto Peninsula, actions by three thousand rescue workers are hampered by large-scale fires and destroyed infrastructure in the area. For example, the route to Noto, the northernmost city on the peninsula, is completely inaccessible by land.
Because earthquakes are common in Japan, there is a well-functioning warning system. Although the death toll is still rising, this appears to have limited the damage somewhat. Initially, the government also warned of the risk of large tsunamis, but that danger has now passed. However, Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi warns of possible aftershocks during the week with a magnitude of up to 7.
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