Powerful Earthquake Strikes Japan, Coastal Areas Evacuated

A 7.6 magnitude hit Japan on Monday, killing several people and destroying various buildings. Many homes lost power supply and the residents in coastal areas had to flee their homes. The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 and triggered waves of about 3 feet along Japan’s west coast and neighboring South Korea. The epicenter of the earthquake is near Ishikawa. The authorities are saying that larger waves can follow. The authorities are also saying that 5-meter-high tsunami waves are possible.

Japan is located in a place where the land is prone to earthquakes. The last time Japan was shit with a deadly earthquake was in March 2011 in northeastern Japan which killed nearly 20,000 people. It had caused meltdowns in the Fukushima nuclear plant. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued tsunami warnings for the prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata, and Toyama. Russia and North Korea have also issued Tsunami warnings for some areas.

 The earthquake also caused several fires according to the reports. The authorities are continuing to assess damage and army personnel have been dispatched to conduct the rescue operations.

In many areas, the seismic activity has been simmering for more than three years hence more quakes could occur in these locations. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has told reporters that he has instructed search-and-rescue teams to do everything as much as possible to save lives, even though access to quake-hit areas is difficult due to blocked roads. Chris Gilbert, reporting from Tokyo, said authorities had located several people trapped.

“The government has identified at least six to 10 people trapped inside buildings and [the total] may be much higher than that, considering the government is usually quite conservative about these numbers until their official [final tally],” Gilbert said.

Many footages showed buildings collapsing in Ishikawa. Many buildings were shaken in Tokiyo as well which is located on the opposite coast. More than 36000 households lost power supply in Ishikawa. South Korea’s meteorological agency said the sea level in some parts of the Gangwon province on the east coast may rise following the earthquake in Japan.  The latest reports say that 30 people died due to being stuck in debris and many are still being rescued. 7 people had died in the badly hit port of Wajima.

"It was such a powerful jolt," Tsugumasa Mihara, 73, told news agency AFP as he queued with hundreds of others for water in the town of Shika. "What a terrible way to start the year," he said. The authorities and the army personnel are doing their best to rescue and secure as many lives as possible.

 By: Gursharan Kaur