13 dead and dozens injured in Japan after major earthquake topples buildings
By Finbarr Flynn and Erica Yokoyama
At least 13 people were killed and dozens injured in a powerful earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula on Japan's northwest coast, toppling buildings, destroying roads and sparking a fire that swept through a city.
The fire destroyed more than 100 homes and buildings in Wajima, one of the hardest-hit cities in Monday's magnitude 7.6 earthquake, public broadcaster NHK said. Aftershocks rocked the region as rescuers spread out to search for victims. A tsunami warning for most of the Sea of Japan coast was lifted Tuesday morning, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the earthquake caused extensive damage and he had set up a task force to help with rescue and repair operations. Networks briefly pulled away from a live broadcast of its news conference as a large aftershock hit the region, the latest in a series of dozens.
Eight people were killed in Wajima on Tuesday morning, NHK said, and at least five others were killed in other parts of the region, about 315 kilometers (195 miles) northwest of Tokyo. So far, the largest tsunami recorded after the New Year's Day earthquake occurred in Wajima, at about 1.2 meters high.
Some train services were suspended and power stations ceased operations, while several roads and an airport runway were closed due to the damage. Mobile phone services were affected. According to Hokuriku Electric, about 33,000 households were without power as of 10 a.m. on Tuesday, while parts of the region were also without running water.
Video footage from the region showed cracks tearing through the streets, collapsed houses and a seven-story building resting on its side after being toppled by the quake.
Emperor Naruhito canceled a public New Year's Eve performance planned for Tuesday in Tokyo out of respect for the people affected by the earthquake, the Imperial Household Agency said.
Water in the fuel pools in the reactor buildings of several units of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture overflowed as a result of the earthquake, but no radioactive materials were detected outside the buildings, according to a statement from Tokyo Electric Power Co. factory is currently offline.
The earthquake struck several thermal power plants in the region. The coal-fired units of Hokuriku Electric Power Co.'s Nanao Ohta power station. were halted as a result of the earthquake, leading to a capacity loss of about 1.2 gigawatts, according to the Japan Electric Power Exchange website. Jera Co. also shut down a gas-fired unit at its Joetsu power station for inspection and plans to restart it on Tuesday, the JEPX website said.
First print: January 2, 2024 | 8:13 am IST