Latest update:
The death toll after the massive earthquake that struck the west coast of Japan on Monday has risen to at least thirty. Tsunami warnings issued after the quake were withdrawn on Tuesday. International news agencies report this.
Japan tried on Tuesday to assess the damage from the earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6, which occurred on Monday afternoon. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday that helicopter flights over the disaster area in Ishikawa Prefecture had seen fires and “large-scale damage” to buildings and infrastructure. He called the search for victims buried under rubble of collapsed buildings “a battle against time.”
Thousands of soldiers, firefighters and police from across the country have been deployed to the worst-hit area on the remote Noto Peninsula. However, rescue work is hampered by heavily damaged and blocked roads. One of the airports in the area is unusable due to cracks in the runways. Many rail services, ferries and flights to the area have been suspended.
Huge fire
The city of Wajima, near the epicenter of the earthquake, was particularly hard hit. A huge fire broke out on Monday. More than a hundred homes and businesses are said to have been destroyed. Tens of thousands of households are without power.
More than 140 tremors have been recorded since the earthquake, according to the Japan Meteorological Institute. The agency has warned that more strong shocks could occur in the coming days. According to the institute, the danger of a tsunami has for now passed. On Monday, according to local media, there were tidal waves of more than one meter high, including in Wajima.
The Japanese government had ordered nearly 100,000 people to leave their homes on Monday evening and sent them to gymnasiums and gymnasiums that served as evacuation centers. Many returned to their homes on Tuesday after tsunami warnings were lifted.
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