Death toll in Japan earthquake rises to 48: authorities search for survivors

He 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit the western coast of central Mexico on Monday Japan has left at least 48 deadaccording to the latest figures from state broadcaster NHK, which says there may be even more people trapped under rubble of buildings that collapsed.

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The city of Wajimaabout 500 kilometers from Tokyo and located very close to the epicenter of the earthquake, is proving to be one of the hardest hit by the earthquake, that caused the collapse of about 25 buildings, many of them private homes, in this town of about 27,000 inhabitants.

It is believed that there may be people trapped under the remains of 14 of these buildings, NHK added, citing the local fire department, which is carrying out rescue operations.

Among the deceased are 19 victims in the city of Wajima, 20 in Suzu, 5 in Nanao, 2 in Anamizu, 1 in Hakui and 1 in Shiga, all of them in Ishikawa prefecture, which has suffered significant structural damage and fires.

In each of these cities, dozens of people were taken to the hospital and rescue efforts are still continuing, so the death toll is expected to increase in the next few hours.

(Also: 7.4 magnitude earthquake hits Japan: tsunami warning ruled out).

Footage taken by public broadcaster NHK on Tuesday morning showed a seven-story building collapsed and smoke rising in a central area of ​​Wajima known for its morning market.

In this prefecture there was a fire that has affected more than 200 structures and? persists in some areas, although the chances of it spreading further are slim, according to officials.

The Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, gave a press conference this morning in which he said that he himself will be in charge of disaster management: “I will be the general director, I will mobilize the Self-Defense Forces, the Japan Coast Guard, firefighters and police“.

The president assured that it is being extremely difficult for vehicles to access the areas in the north of the Noto peninsula and that the Government has already sent supplies by ship.

The leader of the Japanese Executive asked residents of the affected areas “to act safely”, since “the risk of house collapses and landslides is increasing in points where the tremors were strong.”

(We recommend you read: Video: Tourist couple was surprised by earthquake in Japan).

According to the latest figures this afternoon, some 32,000 people have been evacuated in Ishikawa, Toyama prefectures and other nearby areaswhile air transport and local train services remain suspended.

Around 1,000 Japanese Self-Defense Forces personnel are participating in the rescue operations and at 9:30 a.m. local time today (0:30 GMT), more than 46,000 people remain evacuated in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures.

The number of homes without electricity, mainly in Ishikawa, is currently estimated at tens of thousands.

Fortunately, sea ​​level rises detected in different Japanese towns, and even in neighboring South Koreadid not cause significant damage.

Monday's earthquake is the deadliest in Japan since April 2016 when two quakes of magnitude 6.5 and 7.3 struck the Japanese island of Kyushu. and they left fifty people dead directly and more than a thousand injured.

Japan is considered the most prepared country in the world for managing natural disasters due to their frequency. Constructions that are resistant to strong earthquakes and alert citizens are the main keys to their protection.

A 1981 law marked a before and after in the country's anti-seismic construction standards, which have been reinforced in recent decades and are, according to experts, the highest in the world.

EFE

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