KYODO NEWS VIA AP
People hunker down Monday after an earthquake at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, western Japan.
KYODO NEWS VIA AP
A torii gate breaks after an earthquake at a shrine in Kanazawa, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan, on Monday, after a series of earthquakes struck the area.
KYODO NEWS VIA AP
A space is destroyed by an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan, on Monday. Japan issued a tsunami warning on Monday after a series of earthquakes in the Sea of Japan.
WAJIMA, Japan >> A series of powerful earthquakes hit western Japan, leaving at least 30 people dead and damaging thousands of buildings, vehicles and boats, with officials warning people in some areas on Tuesday to stay away from their homes because of a risk of more strong quakes.
Aftershocks continued to rattle Ishikawa Prefecture and nearby areas a day after a magnitude-7. 6 temblor struck the region on Monday afternoon.
Thirty other people were found dead in Ishikawa, authorities said. Fourteen other people were seriously injured, while the damage to homes is so extensive that it may not be immediately assessable, they said.
RELATED STORY: No tsunami threat to Hawaii after large quakes strike off Japan
According to Japanese media, tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed. Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said 17 other people were seriously injured and gave a lower number of casualties, but said he was aware of the prefecture’s count.
Water, electricity and cell phones were still cut off in some areas, and citizens expressed sadness over their destroyed homes and uncertain futures.
“It’s not just that it’s a mess. The wall has collapsed, and you can see through to the next room. I don’t think we can live here anymore,” Miki Kobayashi, an Ishikawa resident, said as she swept around her house.
His space was also ruptured in an earthquake in 2007, he said.
Japan’s military has sent 1,000 troops to the affected areas to join rescue efforts, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday.
“Saving lives is our priority and we are fighting a battle against time,” he said. “It is critical that people trapped in homes get rescued immediately.”
A quake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 shook the Ishikawa area as he was speaking.
Firefighters managed to put out a blaze in the town of Wajima that had reddened the sky with embers and smoke.
Nuclear regulators said several nuclear plants in the region were operating normally. A first earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 caused the meltdown of three reactors and gigantic amounts of radiation at a nuclear plant in northeastern Japan.
News videos showed rows of collapsed houses. Some wooden structures were flattened and cars were overturned. Half-sunken ships floated in bays where tsunami waves had rolled in, leaving a muddied coastline.
On Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a primary tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or warnings for the rest of the west coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu, as well as the northern island of Hokkaido.
The caution was eased a few hours later and all tsunami warnings were lifted Tuesday morning. Waves measuring more than a meter (3 feet) lashed some places.
The company warned that more primary earthquakes are likely to hit the region in the coming days.
People who were evacuated from their houses huddled in auditoriums, schools and community centers. Bullet trains in the region were halted, but service was mostly restored by Tuesday afternoon. Sections of highways were closed.
Forecasters were predicting rain, raising concerns about buildings and infrastructure that were already in ruins.
The region includes tourist spots famous for lacquerware and other traditional crafts, along with designated cultural heritage sites.
U. S. President Joe Biden said in a statement that his administration was “ready to provide any necessary assistance to the rest of the Japanese people. “
Japan suffers earthquakes because of its location along the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and faults in the Pacific basin.
Over the past day, the country has experienced around a hundred aftershocks.
Have comments? Learn more here.
Click here to see our full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak. Submit your coronavirus news tip.
Return to start