Building collapses and fires following Monday’s 7.5-magnitude earthquake in western Japan killed 57 people and injured many others in Ishikawa Prefecture, the Kyodo news agency reported, according to News.ro.

A shallow earthquake with its epicenter in the city of Shiga in Ishikawa Prefecture shook a wide area from Hokkaido to Kyushu and triggered a severe tsunami warning in the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture. A tsunami with a height of more than 1.2 meters was observed in the port of Wajima. Houses were damaged in coastal areas such as the city of Suzu.

About 200 aftershocks were recorded after Monday’s first quake, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, which warned that more strong aftershocks could occur in the coming days.

Most of the victims are in Ishikawa Prefecture, but there are also many injured in Niigata, Toyama, Fukui and Gifu prefectures.

According to Ishikawa Prefecture and other sources, 24 people died in Wajima City, 22 people in Suzu City, 5 people in Nanao City, 2 people in Anamizu City, 2 people in Noto City, one person in Hakui City, and one person in Shiga City. . It is the deadliest earthquake since 2016.

More than 100 people were affected in each region, according to the Office of Fire and Disaster Management, but many local authorities are still searching for victims.

In most cases, these people ended up under the rubble.

A massive fire broke out around the Wajima Morning Market, a tourist attraction in Wajima City, and about 200 buildings were destroyed.

90% of buildings in the city were destroyed

Suzu Mayor Masahiro Izumiya said the damage in the city was catastrophic, with 90 percent of the roughly 5,000 houses completely or nearly destroyed.

Rescue teams struggled in freezing temperatures Tuesday to reach coastal areas where many people may be trapped under thousands of destroyed homes.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the extent of the damage caused by the earthquake was becoming “increasingly apparent” more than 24 hours after the earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture. Kishida said about 3,000 rescuers were trying to reach the northern tip of the peninsula, where helicopter flights showed multiple fires and extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure.

Numerous train services and flights to the earthquake-affected area were suspended. More than 500 people were stranded at Noto Airport, which was closed due to cracks in the runway and access road and damage to the terminal building.

The Japanese government ordered about 100,000 people to leave their homes Monday night, sending them to school gymnasiums, which are normally used as emergency evacuation centers. Almost half of the evacuees returned to their homes on Tuesday after authorities canceled the tsunami warning.

But about 33,000 households were left without power in Ishikawa Prefecture after a night of sub-zero temperatures. More than 100 thousand houses do not have water supply.

Economic effect

The quake also comes at a sensitive time for Japan’s nuclear industry, which has faced fierce opposition since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear leak at Fukushima on its east coast. Then whole cities were destroyed, almost 20 thousand people died. Last week, Japan lifted a ban on the world’s largest nuclear power plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, which was shut down after the 2011 tsunami.

The Nuclear Regulatory Authority said no violations were found at nuclear plants located along the Sea of ​​Japan, including five operating reactors at Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi and Takahama plants in Fukui Prefecture. The Hokuriku Electric Shika plant, closest to the epicenter, has also been inactive since 2011. The company said there were power outages and oil spills after Monday’s quake, but no radiation leaks. The company previously said it hoped to restart the reactor in 2026.

Toshiba said its local subsidiary Kaga Toshiba Electronics had halted semiconductor production at its Ishikawa plant to assess the impact of the earthquake on its facilities.

Chip equipment maker Kokusai Electric said it had discovered damage at its Toyama plant and was conducting further inspections ahead of a planned resumption of operations on Thursday.

Japan is located on an arc of volcanoes and oceanic faults called the Ring of Fire, which partially surrounds the Pacific Ocean basin. 20% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater occur in this country, and up to 2,000 feelable earthquakes are recorded each year. That is why Japan is famous for its earthquake-resistant infrastructure.

However, Monday’s earthquake was particularly strong, with a maximum intensity of 7 on the scale used by the Japanese, the depth of only 10 km at which it occurred added to the extent of the destruction.

The Pope and several world leaders sent messages of condolences, and President Joe Biden said in a statement that the United States stands ready to provide any assistance Japan needs.