At least 13 people have died while many others were injured after a series of over 155 powerful earthquakes, including a magnitude 7.6 tremor, jolted Japan’s northern and central parts on Monday.
The hardest hit was Ishikawa prefecture where 13 casualties have been reported so far. The relentless tremors have brought immense destruction – cracks in roads, collapsed buildings, fires, and power outages leaving thousands homeless.
Over 97,000 residents were evacuated and shifted to shelter homes. But rescue operations remain extremely challenging with roads and infrastructure badly damaged. PM Fumio Kishida described it as a “race against time” to save more lives.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has lifted all tsunami advisories earlier issued after initial warnings of high waves. The agency recorded around 155 quakes since Monday, including another above magnitude 6.
The northern Noto peninsula near the epicenter saw maximum impact with houses destroyed, roads cracked, disrupted communication lines, and power outages even on Tuesday.
Around 33,000 households in Ishikawa prefecture continued to suffer power cuts while several areas had no water supply, as per state broadcaster NHK’s latest updates.
Doctors were unable to reach the hospital in the severely affected town of Suzu which was running on backup power. Rescue teams comprising army personnel, firefighters, and police officers have been mobilized.
The United States has offered full support to the key ally in dealing with the aftermath of the rare natural calamity. This is the second major earthquake to strike the island country in less than two months.
The mass evacuation effort seems to have prevented more casualties than initially expected from quakes of such intensity. As aftershocks continue, Prime Minister Kishida is closely monitoring the relief and rehabilitation efforts.
