HIRO KOMAE and YURI KAGEYAMA
WAJIMA, Japan (AP) — A series of strong earthquakes that hit western Japan have killed at least 55 more people and destroyed thousands of buildings, cars and boats. Authorities warned Tuesday that more earthquakes could occur.
Aftershocks continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas a day after a magnitude 7.6 temblor slammed the area.
Damage was so great that it could not immediately be assessed. Japanese media reports said tens of thousands of homes were destroyed.
Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said 17 other people were seriously injured and gave a lower figure, saying he was aware of the prefecture’s count.
Water, electricity and cell phone service remained cut off in some areas. Residents expressed sadness about their future.
“It’s not just that it’s a disaster. The wall has collapsed and you can see through the next room. I think we won’t be able to live here anymore,” Ishikawa resident Miki Kobayashi said as she swept her house.
The space also ruptured in an earthquake in 2007, he said.
Although the number of casualties has continued to rise gradually, early public warnings, transmitted by radio and telephone, as well as immediate reaction from the general public and the authorities, appear to have limited some of the damage.
Toshitaka Katada, a professor at the University of Tokyo who specializes in disasters, said others were prepared because the region had been hit by earthquakes in recent years. They had evacuation plans and emergency materials in stock.
“There are probably no people on Earth who are as disaster-ready as the Japanese,” he told The Associated Press.
Japan suffers earthquakes because of its location along the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and faults in the Pacific basin.
Katada warned that the situation remains precarious and unpredictable. The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan were preceded by other earthquakes.
“It’s from the end,” Katada said.
Scientists’ predictions have been proven wrong on several occasions, such as in the 2016 earthquake in southwestern Kumamoto, a domain that in the past was thought to be relatively unscathed.
“Relying too much on science is very dangerous. We’re dealing with nature,” Katada said.
Aerial images from Japanese media showed extensive damage in the worst-hit areas, with landslides burying roads, boats thrown into the water and a fire burning an entire part of Wajima city to ashes.
Japan’s military has sent 1,000 troops to the affected areas to help with rescue efforts, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday.
“Saving lives is our priority and we are fighting a war against time,” he said. “It’s about other people trapped in their homes being rescued immediately. “
An earthquake with an initial magnitude of 5. 6 shook Ishikawa’s domain as he spoke. Earthquakes continued to shake the region, triggering more than a hundred aftershocks over the past day.
Nuclear regulators said several nuclear plants in the region were operating normally. A first earthquake and tsunami in 2011 caused three reactors to melt down and huge amounts of radiation at a nuclear plant in northeastern Japan.
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.
Still, half-sunken ships floated in bays where tsunami waves had hit, leaving a muddy coastline.
People evacuated from their homes piled up in auditoriums, schools and network centers. High-speed trains in the area were halted, but service was largely restored Tuesday afternoon. Sections of roads were closed.
Forecasters were predicting rain, raising concerns about collapsing buildings and infrastructure.
It includes tourist sites noted for their lacquers and other classic crafts, as well as 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. “
___Kageyama reported from Tokyo. Cameraman Richard Columbo contributed from Wajima.