Daily Camera (Boulder)

At least 57 people dead after earthquake­s

- By Hiro Komae and Yuri Kageyama The Associated Press

WAJIMA, JAPAN>> A series of powerful earthquake­s that hit western Japan have left at least 57 people dead and damaged thousands of buildings, vehicles and boats. Officials warned Tuesday that more quakes could lie ahead.

Aftershock­s continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas a day after a magnitude 7.6 temblor slammed the area.

Damage was so great that it could not immediatel­y be assessed. Japanese media reports said tens of thousands of homes were destroyed.

Government spokespers­on Yoshimasa Hayashi said 17 people were seriously injured and gave a slightly lower death toll, saying he was aware of the prefecture’s tally.

Water, power and cellphone service were still down in some areas. Residents expressed sorrow about their uncertain futures.

“It’s not just that it’s a mess. The wall has collapsed, and you can see through to the next room. I don’t think we can live here anymore,” Miki Kobayashi, an Ishikawa resident, said as she swept around her house.

The house was also damaged in a 2007 quake, she said.

Although casualty numbers continued to climb gradually, the prompt public warnings, relayed on broadcasts and phones, and the quick response from the general public and officials appeared to have limited some of the damage.

Toshitaka Katada, a University of Tokyo professor specializi­ng in disasters, said people were prepared

A building falls on the ground following an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan Tuesday. A series of powerful earthquake­s in western Japan damaged homes, cars and boats, with officials warning people on Tuesday to stay away from their homes in some areas because of a continuing risk of major quakes and tsunamis. quakes.

“This is far from over,” Katada said.

Prediction­s by scientists have repeatedly been proven wrong, such as with the 2016 quake in southweste­rn Kumamoto, an area previously seen as relatively quake-free.

“Having too much confidence in the power of science is very dangerous. We are dealing with nature,” Katada said.

Japanese media’s aerial footage showed widespread damage in the hardest-hit spots, with landslides burying roads, boats tossed in the waters and a fire that had turned an entire section of Wajima city to ashes.

Japan’s military dispatched 1,000 soldiers to the disaster zones to join rescue efforts, Prime Minister

People walk past collapsed buildings following an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan Tuesday. A series of powerful earthquake­s in western Japan damaged homes, cars and boats, with officials warning people on Tuesday to stay away from their homes in some areas because of a continuing risk of major quakes and tsunamis.

because the area had been hit by quakes in recent years. They had evacuation plans and emergency supplies in stock.

“There are probably no people on Earth who are as disaster-ready as the Japanese,” he told The Associated Press.

Japan is frequently hit by

earthquake­s because of its location along the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

Katada warned the situation remains precarious and unpredicta­ble. The March 2011 quake and tsunami in northeaste­rn Japan had been preceded by other

Fumio Kishida Tuesday.

“Saving lives is our priority and we are fighting a battle against time,” he said. “It is critical that people trapped in homes get rescued immediatel­y.”

A quake with a preliminar­y magnitude of 5.6 shook the Ishikawa area as he was speaking. Quakes continued to rock the area, reaching more than 100 aftershock­s over the past day.

Nuclear regulators said several nuclear plants in the region were operating normally. A major quake and tsunami in 2011 caused three reactors to melt and release large amounts of radiation at a nuclear plant in northeaste­rn Japan.

On Monday, the Japan Meteorolog­ical Agency issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lowerlevel tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu, as well as for the northern island of Hokkaido.

The warning was downgraded several hours later, and all tsunami warnings were lifted as of early Tuesday. Waves measuring more than 3 feet hit some places.

Still, half-sunken ships floated in bays where tsunami waves had rolled in, leaving a muddied coastline.

People who were evacuated from their houses huddled in auditorium­s, schools and community centers. Bullet trains in the region were halted, but service was mostly restored by Tuesday afternoon. Sections said of highways were closed.

Weather forecaster­s predicted rain, setting off worries about crumbling buildings and infrastruc­ture.

The region includes tourist spots famous for lacquerwar­e and other traditiona­l crafts, along with designated cultural heritage sites.

U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement that his administra­tion was “ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Japanese people.”

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KYODO NEWS VIA AP
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KYODO NEWS VIA AP

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