WAJIMA, Japan.- A dog found and rescued an elderly woman who was trapped in a house The Defense Ministry reported this Thursday that it was destroyed by the powerful 7.5° earthquake that struck central Japan on New Year's Day.
The animal, called Jenniferis one of the dogs specially trained to find survivors during earthquakes.
Our powers “As of yesterday, they had rescued 122 people, including an elderly woman in a house in Wajima town who was found and rescued by a dog.”Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said on the social network X.
“Today, a crucial day, troop strength will increase to approximately 4,600.”he added.
A rescue dog helps firefighters search for people in the rubble of a collapsed house in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, January 4, 2024.KAZUHIRO NOGI – AFP
The Japanese celebrated the event on social networks. “Incredible! I hope he recovers,” wrote one user on X.
At least 84 people died in the earthquake and the subsequent aftershocks, and 179 others are missingaccording to local authorities.
The hope of finding more survivors is dwindling how the days go by.
Regional Governor Hiroshi Hase recalled this in a meeting From 72 hours after the earthquake, “it is said that the survival rate of the people who need to be rescued is falling rapidly”.
The Prime Minister, for his part, Fumio Kishidastressed that the earthquake was the “worst disaster” since 2019 and access to the affected area was “extremely difficult”.
“The situation remains difficult, but we will continue to do everything we can to support the victims”he emphasized.
There are scenes of destruction in the coastal towns of Anamizu and Wajima, including charred cars at a market ravaged by fire.
Thousands of soldiers, firefighters and police across Japan searched for signs of life in the rubble of collapsed wooden houses and collapsed commercial buildings. Sniffer dogs helped them with their work.
Together with a rescue unit in Wajima, Yasuhiro Morita explained that his dog Elsa was trained for it Bark when you find a dead body.
“But today he only approached passers-by, which means there’s probably no body left.”he defined.
A rescue dog helps firefighters search for people in the rubble of a collapsed house in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, January 4, 2024.KAZUHIRO NOGI – AFP
“My grandmother's house used to be here, but everything burned down,” said Shinichi Hirano, 47. “He passed away a long time ago, so his house was empty for a long time, but still the area is full of memories for me,” he added added.
In Ishikawa Prefecture, around 30,000 households were without power, on the coast of the Sea of Japan, and more than 89,800 homes in Ishikawa and two neighboring regions are without water. Small communities in the Noto Peninsula region have no access. 300 people are desperately waiting for help in a school in the town of Ooya.
“Even if I gave my children my food, it wouldn’t be enough. “I hardly ate anything for two days.”a mother of three from the Suzu area told the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.
In Nanao city, police controlling traffic told drivers that they would give priority to emergency vehicles on one of the main access roads to Wajima.
A nearby gas station had a long line of cars waiting for it to open Thursday morning. No fuel shortages have been reported so far, but gas station employees told AFP They rationed gas.
The aftershocks caused the earthquake on Monday 1.2 meter high waves at Wajima and smaller tsunamis elsewhere.
Damage after the city was hit by an earthquake and tsunami on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. ëêŒó?ëæ