RAMPEN
Aantal aardbevingsslachtoffers in Japan stijgt, reddingswerkers proberen overlevenden te vinden
January 2, 2024 - Rescue teams in Japan are battling to find survivors of a New Year’s Day earthquake that killed at least 55 people and caused widespread destruction.
In Suzu, a town of just over 5,000 households near the quake’s epicentre, 90 percent of houses may have been destroyed, according to its mayor Masuhiro Izumiya.
The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck on Monday afternoon, prompting people in western coastal areas to flee to higher ground as tsunami waves swept cars and houses into the water.
Around 200 tremors have been detected since the quake first hit on Monday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, which warned that more strong shocks could hit in coming days.
A Coast Guard aircraft en route to deliver aid to the quake-hit region collided with a commercial airplane in Tokyo’s Haneda airport on Tuesday, killing five Coast Guard. All 379 on board the Japan Airlines flight escaped, Reuters said.