Home » World » Japan Earthquake Update: 94 Dead, 222 Missing, and Urgent Need for Relief Supplies

Japan Earthquake Update: 94 Dead, 222 Missing, and Urgent Need for Relief Supplies

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 5th: The number of victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake in Japan increased to 94 on the afternoon of the 5th, and 222 people are still missing, many of whom are elderly. The golden 72 hours for post-disaster rescue have passed, and snowfall is expected over the weekend. Those trapped under the rubble have little hope of survival.

Road interruption remains the biggest problem in transporting relief supplies. More than 33,000 asylum seekers are in urgent need of assistance.

On January 4, a citizen inspected the ruins of the “Wajima Morning Market” in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu

According to the list of missing persons released by the Ishikawa Prefectural Government, the 222 people are mainly from Wajima City and Suzu City, the hardest-hit areas, and most of them are elderly. Local residents said many of the missing people trapped under houses were likely to be elderly.

Chihiro, the governor of Ishikawa Prefecture, said that as of about 4 pm on the 4th, the golden 72 hours had passed, and “the survival chances of those survivors who need rescue are believed to have dropped significantly.”

Social media cheered as rescuers later in the day rescued two elderly women trapped in rubble in the city of Wajima. However, time is passing. Weather forecasts include snow over the weekend in the disaster area, making the search for survivors even more urgent.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida decided on the 4th to increase the number of Self-Defense Forces supporting disaster areas to 4,600. The Maritime Self-Defense Force used hovercraft to deliver bulldozers and other heavy equipment needed to clear the obstacle to the shore. According to Chihiro, the earthquake caused the seabed to lift and deform, making it impossible for large ships to dock at some seaports on the Noto Peninsula.

Some self-defense members entered the disaster area and joined the search and rescue teams that were mainly composed of firefighters and police in the first few days after the disaster. In Wajima City, an AFP reporter saw a group of self-defense fighters entering through the broken windows of a collapsed house, looking for a missing resident. A member of the self-defense team shouted: “Is there anyone inside? Please answer!”

On the fourth day after the earthquake, the full extent of the disaster was still unclear. Kyodo News reported on the 5th that more than 700 people in villages in Ishikawa Prefecture are still isolated and helpless. 14 areas in Wajima City have also become isolated islands, and it is impossible to count the number of people affected by the disaster. The city government received more than 40 reports of “people being buried”, and the disaster may further expand.

According to the “Sankei Shimbun” report, in a quaint old street in Taoricho, Suzu City, all the buildings along the street collapsed, and it was as quiet as time stopped. According to some residents, the local fire brigade and support teams from other places mainly search and rescue in the city center and have not yet reached Baoli Town, far away from the city.

Reports said that in Anamizu Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, search and rescue started earlier, but progress was slow. A rescue team came to a collapsed house to rescue, but were told by nearby residents that the people inside had been rescued, reflecting confusion in the rescue operation.

This is the ruins of the “Wajima Morning Market” taken in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan on January 4.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu

According to the Associated Press and other media, although Japan is known for its relatively reliable post-disaster rescue operations, since the earthquake, the evacuation points in Ishikawa Prefecture are about to run out of water, food, blankets and other necessary supplies, have no access to the Internet, lack medicine, and toilets. , epidemic prevention and other health conditions are worrying.

Kyodo News said that as of the 4th, about 30,000 residences in Ishikawa Prefecture were still without power, and about 80,000 households in 13 cities and towns were without water. Wajima Mayor Shigeru Sakaguchi said that as of the 3rd, the city’s 11,000 evacuees had only received 3,000 meals and 5,000 bottles of water.

At an evacuation point in Wajima City, 62-year-old Kinoshita Kyoko (transliteration) and more than 200 people lined up to receive meals. “There is no running water, and we can’t wash our hands after using the toilet,” she told Reuters. “There is a baby in the shelter who is only 3 weeks old. There doesn’t seem to be enough milk powder or water to soak the milk powder.”

At a temporary shelter set up in a primary school in Suzu City, about 300 refugees were waiting for assistance.

A woman in her 30s who took refuge with three children told the Asahi Shimbun reporter: “Even if I give my children food, it is not enough. I have eaten almost nothing in the past two days.”

Obata Yasuo (transliteration) showed how small the rice balls in his hands were to the Associated Press reporter. “We only received two rice balls.” The old man evacuated with his wife and received only half a glass of water in a disposable paper cup, which he “drank in one gulp.”

Obata said that he could not return to the destroyed house and could only sleep with other evacuees. “We chatted together and tried to encourage each other.” He hopes help is on the way.

This is the ruins of the “Wajima Morning Market” taken in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan on January 4.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu

However, many roads leading to the disaster area were either blocked by landslides or cracks of varying sizes appeared during the earthquake, making it difficult for trucks carrying aid supplies to pass. Ishikawa Prefecture officials said that as of the 4th, there were still about 100 congestion points on roads across the county.

Wajima Mayor Shigeru Sakaguchi said: “The first priority is roads. Road disruptions not only hinder the transportation of aid supplies, but also affect the restoration of power supply, water supply, mobile phone signals and other life-saving infrastructure.”

Toshiki Kouri, a medical worker who has participated in many disaster relief operations, told Reuters: “Compared to other earthquakes, the road condition in Wajima City is very bad. I think the aid supplies arrived much later than usual. “He believes that the asylum seekers will have to stay in the asylum environment with difficult conditions for a longer period of time.

In Nanao City, traffic police told private car drivers that the main road leading to Wajima City would give priority to disaster relief vehicles. Gas stations limit the amount of fuel that private cars can fill. Many people were worried about aftershocks and chose to stay in their cars overnight.

Those who died and lost contact in the earthquake include some people who came to Ishikawa Prefecture from other places to celebrate the New Year with their relatives.

Standing in front of the ruins, 53-year-old Hamaya Hiroyuki told AFP that when the earthquake occurred, everyone was celebrating the New Year and relatives came. “The house has not collapsed, but it is still far from being inhabitable… I have no place in my mind to think about the future.” (Hu Ruoyu)

[Editor in charge: Liu Weijia]

#golden #hours #passed #people #earthquakestricken #areas #Japan #uncertain_China #Net
2024-01-05 16:21:00

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