Japan quake update: 18 die, scores buried alive

An elderly woman receives attention from rescue workers

Scores of people were feared buried alive after a second powerful quake hit southern Japan Saturday, killing at least 21 people,  with over 1500 injured. The quake sparked building and road collapses and fires, barely 24 hours after the first disaster struck.

Hillsides gave way as huge landslides swamped houses and severed transport links, while fires engulfed several homes.

Buildings were reduced to rubble, including a university dormitory, where at least two students died, with fears for the safety of dozens of other people over a large area.

A rescue worker running to offer assistance

“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 Defense Force personnel are doing all they can to rescue them.”

A hospital was left teetering after the powerful quake, forcing the evacuation of patients and further stretching the emergency response.

 Isolated villages in the mountainous area of southern Kyushu island that was the focus of the quake were completely cut off by landslides and damage to roads, with at least 1,000 people believed trapped in one area alone.

 

The 7.0 magnitude quake came as emergency responders were working to reach areas already affected by a 6.2 magnitude tremor that struck late Thursday.

Adding to worries was the eruption of a nearby volcano, although seismologists cautioned there was no evidence of a link and said activity was limited.

Factories producing auto parts and tech components for companies including Sony Corp and Honda Motor Co halted production as they assessed the damage.

Rescue workers looking for trapped people

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said rescue efforts were critical with wet weather 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,” Abe said at a government meeting after the disaster. “I want rescue activities to continue with the utmost effort.”
The epicentre of the quake was near the city of Kumamoto on the southern island of Kyushu and measured at a shallow depth of 10 kms (6 miles), the USGS said.

Damage from Saturday’s quake covered a wide area with reports of 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, while the 400-year-old Kumamoto Castle in the centre of the city was badly damaged.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said nearly 80 people were believed trapped or buried in rubble. Extra troops would be sent to help, with up to 20,000 due by Sunday, as well as more police, firefighters and medics, he said.

TV Asahi showed rescue efforts for what it said were 11 people trapped in a university apartment in the town of Minami Aso and NHK reported that people were trapped in a nursing home in the town of Mashiki.
NHK initially reported 16 deaths and more than 1,000 people treated in hospitals.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said nearly 80 people were believed trapped or buried in rubble. Extra troops would be sent to help, with up to 20,000 due by Sunday, as well as more police, firefighters and medics, he said.

“We are making every effort to respond,” Suga said.
Many frightened people wrapped in blankets sat outside their homes while others camped out in rice fields in rural areas surrounding the main towns. About 170,000 households were without power and 385,000 without water, Suga said.

The region’s transport network suffered considerable damage with one tunnel caved in, a highway bridge damaged, roads blocked by landslips and train services halted, media reported. Kumamoto airport was also closed.

There have been more than 230 aftershocks of at least level 1 on the Japanese scale since Thursday’s shock, said Japan’s meteorological agency.
Japan is on the seismically active “ring of fire” around the Pacific Ocean and has building codes aimed at helping structures withstand earthquakes.

A magnitude 9 quake in March 2011 north of Tokyo touched off a massive tsunami and nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima. Nearly 20,000 people were killed in the tsunami.
Source: Reuters/AFP

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