Most of these earthquakes exceeded 3 magnitude. Residents felt six additional strong tremors on Tuesday morning, according to the agency. The provisional number of victims is at least six dead, while the material damage is significant.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on Tuesday that the numerous strong earthquakes that have rocked central Japan since Monday, including an earthquake with a magnitude exceeding 7 degrees, had caused “many casualties” and significant material damage..
“Severe damage has been confirmed,” Kishida said, describing “many casualties, collapsed buildings and fires.” “We have to race against time” to save lives, he added.
A strong earthquake struck central Japan on the first day of the New Year, killing at least six people, as police and prefectural authorities announced early Tuesday (local time) that bodies had been recovered from under the rubble of collapsed buildings..
The earthquake, which initial reports indicated had a magnitude of 7.6, occurred on Monday afternoon, causing the destruction of buildings, cutting off power to tens of thousands of homes, and forcing residents in some coastal areas to flee to higher areas..
It also caused waves nearly a meter high in areas along the western coast of Japan and neighboring South Korea.
Army personnel were sent to assist in rescue operations, while a local airport was closed after the earthquake caused cracks in its runway.
The extent of the damage and the number of victims are still unclear nearly a day after the disaster, as major roads leading to the most affected areas were severely damaged, which undermined rescue efforts..
The Japanese Broadcasting Corporation reported that doctors were unable to reach the hospital in the severely damaged town of Suzu. She added that the hospital relies on a backup electricity generator due to the power outage.
The National Police Authority announced that six had been confirmed dead people so far.
#Central #Japan #hit #earthquakes #Monday
