FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

More quakes pummel Japan

More quakes pummel Japan

Scores feared buried alive as PM orders all-out rescue efforts

SCORES of people were feared buried alive yesterday after two powerful quakes hit southern Japan a day apart, killing at least 32 people, and as a forecast storm threatened more devastating landslides.
Homes, roads and railway lines were swept away when huge hillsides collapsed, as thousands of tonnes of mud was dislodged by the thunderous seismic tremors.
Buildings were reduced to rubble, including a university dormitory and apartment complexes, with dozens of people unaccounted for over a wide area.

“We are aware of multiple locations where people have been buried alive,” chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference.
“Police, firefighters and Self Defence Force personnel are doing all they can to rescue them.”
Around 70,000 people have been evacuated, including 300 from an area close to a dam thought to be at risk of collapse.
In Kumamoto prefecture, about 15,200 people had taken refuge at 399 emergency evacuation sites. 
Frequent aftershocks have occurred, significantly affecting lifelines such as electricity and gas, as well as the Kyushu Shinkansen line and other transportation systems.
According to the agency, there had been 129 aftershocks as of 1pm on Friday, with one measuring an upper 6 on the Japanese intensity scale of 7 and another measuring a lower 6. Two aftershocks were lower 5, and 16 measured 4 on the scale.
Kyushu Electric Power Co said its Sendai nuclear power plant in Satsumasendai in Kagoshima Prefecture was operating normally. Kyushu Electric also confirmed that nothing unusual had occurred at its idled Genkai nuclear power plant in Genkai, Saga Prefecture.
“I felt strong shaking at first, then I was thrown about like I was in a washing machine,” said a Tokai University student who remains isolated in the village of Minamiaso in Kumamoto province on the island of Kyushu.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the speed of rescue efforts was critical given that wet weather is forecast overnight, which could further damage weakened buildings and cause landslides. 
“Nothing is more important than human life and it’s a race against time. I want rescue activities to continue with the utmost effort,” Abe said.
Television footage showed fires, power outages, collapsed bridges and gaping holes in the earth. Residents near a dam were told to leave because of fears it might crumble, broadcaster NHK said.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga said nearly 80 people were believed trap Artificial rain-making boosts water reserves
 
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