25 missing people in Ishikawa Prefecture… Self-defense forces and police, all-out rescue effort
In the aftermath of the earthquake, 750 people were isolated in five areas, including Wajima, Suzu, and Nanao.
As it has been four days since an earthquake occurred on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, the Japanese government has accelerated its search ahead of the golden hour. As of the 4th, the number of deaths increased to 78.
Jiji News reported on the 4th that local police and the Self-Defense Forces are making every effort to find missing people by continuing searches ahead of the ’72 hours after the incident’, when the survival rate is said to drop sharply in Ishikawa Prefecture, which has suffered extensive damage.
According to local media such as the Hokkoku Shimbun, Ishikawa Prefecture held a disaster response headquarters meeting at the prefectural office at 9:30 a.m. on this day and reported the current damage situation.
The total number of deaths in the prefecture is 79, including 44 in Wajima City, 23 in Suzu City, 5 in Nanao City, 2 in Anamizu-machi, 2 in Noto-cho, and 1 each in Hakuishi and Shika-machi. The number of deaths confirmed in Wajima City has increased by 5 since the night of the 3rd.
In addition, as roads were cut off in the aftermath of the earthquake, 750 residents were stranded in five areas, including Wajima City, Suzu City, Nanao City, Anamizu-machi, and Noto-cho.
NHK reported that Ishikawa Prefecture issued a statement saying that a total of 25 people were missing from Wajima City and Anamizu Town.
Based on the basic resident register as of 8 a.m. on this day, the current authorities released the names and ages of missing people who cannot be contacted at this time. The news agency reported that the full extent of the damage is still unknown due to difficulties in search operations at the site of the house collapse.
In Ishikawa, evacuation centers were opened at 355 locations, and approximately 33,000 people took refuge.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, water outages in Ishikawa Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, and Toyama Prefecture reached a total of 110,000 households as of 2:30 p.m. on the 3rd, and the Self-Defense Forces and others are providing water supply support.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.