By Kay Smythe
At least 48 people were killed as a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck western Japan on New Year’s Day 2024.
Authorities reported at least 19 deaths in the coastal city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture on the Noto Peninsula, where the epicenter of the earthquake struck, triggering tsunami warnings, building damage, and power outages around 4:10pm on January 1, according to the New York Times. A series of fires also erupted as the quake hit, forcing rescue parties to search the rubble of collapsed homes and commercial buildings for survivors.
“The search and rescue of those impacted by the quake is a battle against time,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday morning, according to Reuters. At the time, at least 120 reports of people needing to be rescued from the northern tip of the Noto peninsula. Aftershocks and an equally as powerful quake are also forecast for the coming week, with more than 200 smaller tremors reported since the initial big one on Monday.
Aerial images reveal the extent of the destruction caused by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck central Japan on Monday https://t.co/keiE0EocsV pic.twitter.com/j3mVaryFmJ
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 2, 2024
More than 500 people were stranded at Noto airport on Monday night as the runway, access road, and terminal all suffered damage to the building. In the local town of Suzu, home to 5,000 households, some 1,000 or more homes were lost. Mayor Mashuiro Izumiua called the situation “catastrophic.”
Crews are working to clear roads and rubble as retailers supply those impacted with water, food, portable toilets, blankets, and other household items. Some 100,000 people were evacuated from their homes over risks of another large quake, with most being housed in sports halls, gymnasiums, and other buildings commonly used as evacuation centers.
“I’ve never experienced a quake that powerful,” local area resident Shoichi Kobayaski, 71, told Reuters. “Even the aftershocks made it difficult to stand up straight.” Kobayaski and his family slept in their car on Monday night due to fears of another shock. But more than half of those evacuated were home by Tuesday, following the decision to lift tsunami warnings.
👀NEW VIDEO: The moment a #Tsunami wave strikes the coastal city of #Suzu along Japan’s #IshikawaPrefecture #JapanTsunami @cnni pic.twitter.com/s75ujytyey
— Derek Van Dam (@VanDamCNN) January 1, 2024
Footage shared by CNN showed the moment larger waves hit the coastline of Suzu, apparently washing away some debris and vehicles in their path. (RELATED: Scientists Uncover Chilling Evidence Of Ancient Tsunami)
Tsunami warnings were issued as far north as Russia, raising concerns over Japan’s nuclear facilities in the impacted areas, CNN reported. No abnormalities were reported at these facilities as of Tuesday, Japan’s Kansai Electric and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi noted.
