Kumamoto: Scores of people were feared buried alive on Saturday after two powerful quakes hit southern Japan a day apart, killing at least 41 people, as a forecast storm threatened more devastating landslides.
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“In Minamiaso, where the damage is concentrated, there may still be people trapped under collapsed buildings, so we are focusing our attention and rescue and search efforts in this area” – Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga. But the heavy rain that started falling Saturday night will undoubtedly complicate relief operations and could even trigger fresh mudslides.
He says the military will be boosted to 20,000 for rescue efforts.
The US has nearly 50,000 servicemen and women stationed in Japan.
U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. has been in touch with authorities in Japan and isn’t aware of any Americans who have been affected by the quakes.
Overnight rainfall did not appear to cause any more landslides, as had been feared, and the skies had cleared by Sunday morning. Adding to the difficultly is the fact that there have been strong aftershocks almost every hour since the quake.
Shiori Yatabe, an official at the Kumamoto prefecture crisis management department, said 11 people were missing. TBS said seven of them had so far been rescued.
ABC’s report also said fires and a landslide followed Saturday’s natural disaster.
Ryosuke Uematsu/AP Police in Kumamoto prefecture said Saturday night that 32 people had died in the magnitude-7.3 quake and aftershocks that shook the Kumamoto region on the southwestern island of Kyushu early Saturday. The three where in wheelchairs and the evacuation center said there was no space and it was hard to care for them in such crowded conditions.
“Daytime today is the big test” for rescue efforts, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said early Saturday.
Flights in and out of Kumamoto Airport have been suspended as has the Shinkansen bullet train service in the Kyushu area.
There are about 190 Thai people living at Kumamoto, and it is also a favourite destination for Thai tourists visiting Japan. Evacuees exercise at a shelter in Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture, Japan Sunday, April 17, 2016.
More than 90,000 people have been evacuated, including 300 from an area near a dam thought to be at risk of collapse.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said that the magnitude-7.3 quake early Saturday may have been the main one, with one from Thursday night a precursor. Irwin ended up sleeping in his vehicle, because his local evacuation area had no electricity.
Japan’s Infrastructure Minister Keiichi Ishii said he will implement measures to ensure that enough temporary housing units are built in response to local government’s request to more suitably accommodate the growing number of those displaced by the quake.
NHK reported 16 deaths and more than 1,000 people treated in hospitals. Aftershocks have been rattling various areas in Kyushu, one of Japan’s main four island. “It is possible that there will continue to be strong tremors and we urge that people take safety measures and be vigilant”.
In this April 15, 2016 image made from video, Yuichiro Yoshikado shows the damages of his uncle’s house during an interview in Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture, Japan.
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Kumamoto is well-known for its farm produce and numerous cultural sites and assets, including the famous Kumamoto Castle, whose stone walls and turrets have collapsed due to the quakes.
