A day after a large part of Japan was shaken by a major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6, much is still unclear about the scale of the disaster. According to authorities, 48 people have now died, but because there are still people under the rubble, that number could rise significantly in the coming day. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida spoke on Tuesday of a “race against time” to save their lives. In addition, there is also enormous material damage: hundreds of buildings have been destroyed.
Authorities warn of aftershocks; For example, there was another earthquake measuring 4.9 in Isjikawa on Tuesday. All public transport is at a standstill and food parcels are being dropped from the air in the city of Wajima, which is completely cut off from the outside world due to heavy damage to access roads. Rescue planes cannot land because the runways of airports in the area have been torn open. In Wajima, where at least fifteen people are known to have died, houses were still on fire on Tuesday.
Major earthquakes occur more often in Japan. After the earthquake on Monday, there was great fear of a tsunami, but an earlier warning for such a tidal wave was later withdrawn. It was the first time such an alarm was issued since 2011, when almost twenty thousand people were killed in an earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Tens of thousands of people are still without power and have been sheltered in specially equipped centers.