Satellite images show devastation in Japan after major earthquake: “Situation is catastrophic” | Abroad

The new year started anything but positively for the Japanese. The west coast of the country was shocked by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 last Monday. Afterwards, more than 150 aftershocks were recorded in the region. One of the hardest hit places was the coastal city of Wajima, north of the Noto Peninsula.

At least 62 people have been killed in the earthquakes so far. More than 300 others were injured. Among them, at least twenty people are in critical condition.

Satellite images released by the American technology company ‘Maxar Technologies’ show the extent of the destruction. Before and after photos taken in Wajima show how the town’s buildings and houses have been turned into ruins.

Wajima on April 27, 2021 and January 2, 2024:

The destruction is also complete in the town of Suzu on the Noto peninsula. “About 90 percent of the houses have been completely or almost completely destroyed. The situation is catastrophic,” Mayor Masuhiro Izumiya said in an interview with the news channel ‘TBS’.

Suzu on August 11, 2022 and January 2, 2024:

According to Japanese authorities, almost 32,000 people have had to flee their homes so far. In the Ishikawa region, 34,000 families are also without electricity and dozens of Japanese no longer have access to running water. Emergency services are still searching for survivors under the rubble, but heavy rain in recent days is making rescue efforts difficult.