At least 242 people were missing in central Japan on Friday, nearly four days after the powerful New Year's quake that killed at least 92 people, local authorities said.
• Also read: Japan: Three days after the earthquake, hope of finding survivors is dwindling
• Also read: 73 dead in New Year's quake in Japan, weather complicates rescue efforts
The magnitude 7.5 quake, felt as far as Tokyo, 300 km away, shook the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa department, a narrow strip of land that extends about 100 kilometers into the sea of Japan, collapsing buildings and devastating roads.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday called this earthquake “the worst disaster” of the Reiwa era, which began in 2019 with the accession of the current Japanese emperor.
The 72-hour window considered crucial for finding survivors after a natural disaster closed Thursday, and Ishikawa Gov. Hiroshi Hase said he feared “the survival rate of those in need of rescue will not suddenly drop.” “
The port city of Wajima on the Noto Peninsula was one of the hardest-hit towns and a pungent smell still lingers there while faint columns of smoke are still visible from the massive fire that destroyed hundreds of buildings following the earthquake.
AFP
“I was relaxing on New Year's Day when the earthquake happened. My relatives were all there and we had fun,” Hiroyuki Hamatani, 53, told AFP amid charred cars, destroyed buildings and toppled telegraph poles.
AFP
“I have no space in my head to think about the future. Everything is scattered around my house. “More aftershocks could cause collapse, so I won’t be able to return immediately,” he added.
Japan is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is one of the countries with the most frequent earthquakes.
AFP
The Japanese archipelago is haunted by the memory of the terrible 9.0 magnitude earthquake that was followed by a huge tsunami on its northeastern shores in March 2011, a disaster that left some 20,000 people dead or missing.
This disaster also led to the Fukushima nuclear accident, the worst since Chernobyl in 1986.