A series of earthquakes that shook the nation on New Year’s Day, including a strong one with a magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter Scale, resulted in at least 30 verified deaths. Following at least 155 registered tremors, police and local authorities announced early on Tuesday that bodies were being recovered out of the debris of collapsed buildings. The people are still in shock after the major earthquakes in the country.
7.6-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Coastal Areas
The 7.6 magnitude earthquake forced thousands of people living in coastal areas to evacuate for higher ground as it wrecked many structures, started fires, and cut off power to tens of thousands of houses. For Ishikawa prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) first issued a significant tsunami warning. This was the agency’s first action since the earthquake and tsunami that slammed northeast Japan in March 2011 and killed around 20,000 people. Later on, it asked residents not to go to their houses and downgraded the alert.
Army forces were dispatched to aid with rescue efforts, and the US Geological Survey reported that it was the biggest earthquake to strike the area in more than 40 years. The neighbouring prefecture of Nagano felt the jolt as well.
Japanese Government Takes Swift Action
As of Monday night, the Japanese government announced that it had ordered the evacuation of approximately 100,000 residents from nine prefectures located on the western coast of Honshu, the country’s largest island. They were scheduled to spend the night in school gymnasiums and sports halls, which are frequently utilized as emergency evacuation hubs. Even hours after the first evacuation warning, people have been known to be swept away and drowned while returning to retrieve their wallets and other things. After being evacuated, people were placed in stadiums, where they will probably have to spend several days.
Keep watching our YouTube Channel ‘DNP INDIA’. Also, please subscribe and follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER.
