Powerful Earthquake Hits Japan on New Year's Day
Japan’s Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture was hit by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake followed by a tsunami killing 13 people on 1st January 2024 at 4:10 pm local time.
The new year did not begin on a good note for our Japanese friends as a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan on 1st January 2024 at 4:10pm local time. Several parts of Japan were issued ‘major tsunami warnings’ and were asked to evacuate immediately. The warnings are in three categories — Major tsunami warning, Tsunami warning, and Tsunami advisory. According to the eyewitness, the earthquake continued for around 30 seconds and tremors were felt till the capital city of Tokyo. Several videos showing buildings collapsing in Ishikawa and pictures of major cracks on the concrete road have surfaced and gone viral on social media. Metro station video. According to the local Japanese reports, more than 155 aftershocks have followed the earthquake and high waves are being recorded in many regions. Just a few minutes after the Earthquake, South Korea's meteorological department announced that the sea level in some parts of the Gangwon province, South Korea on the east coast may rise. According to South Korea’s meteorological agency, the first tsunami reached South Korea's east coast at a height of 2.2 ft. After this, the agency announced that the tsunami can grow after the initial waves and may continue for more than 24 hours, the agency said in an advisory and therefore, requested the citizens to stay alert. Russia's Emergency’s Ministry also announced that Russia’s Sakhalin island (situated close to Japan) was under the threat of tsunamis with waves rising more than 3 meters (9.84 ft) & therefore, the local population was being evacuated. Local News channels were reporting the incident live and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered the immediate evacuation and requested them to stay alert. While no damage or abnormalities to the nuclear power plants have been reported, several houses and electricity poles collapsed in Ishikawa causing 36,000 households & buildings to lose power supply. Fire department officials in Japan's Ishikawa received several calls from people stuck in collapsed houses. Apart from this, multiple phone and internet services were disrupted in Ishikawa and Niigata, Japan many flights were diverted & later canceled and all high-speed train services to Ishikawa were suspended. During the aftershocks, multiple fires broke out in central Wajima City of Ishikawa, burning down more than 100 buildings. At least 13 people have been reported dead & 19 people were in a state of cardiac arrest till now in the Wajima city. The Embassy of India in Tokyo, Japan, has set up an emergency control room for assistance in connection with the earthquakes and tsunami. Several emergency numbers and email ids were announced for the rescue and safety of Indians living in Japan.
