Tag: earthquake

  • Japan quake toll rises to 62 as weather hampers rescuers

    Japan quake toll rises to 62 as weather hampers rescuers

    Japanese rescuers scrambled to search for survivors on Wednesday (January 3) as authorities warned of landslides and heavy rain after a powerful earthquake that killed at least 62 people.

    The 7.5-magnitude quake on January 1 that rattled Ishikawa prefecture on the main island of Honshu triggered tsunami waves more than a metre high, sparked a major fire and tore apart roads.

    The Noto Peninsula of the prefecture was most severely hit, with several hundred buildings ravaged by fire and houses flattened in several towns, including Wajima and Suzu, as shown by before-and-after satellite images released on Wednesday.

    The regional government announced Wednesday that 62 people had been confirmed dead and more than 300 injured, 20 of them seriously.

    The toll was expected to climb as rescuers battle aftershocks and poor weather to comb through rubble.

    More than 31,800 people were in shelters, the government said.

    “More than 40 hours have passed since the disaster. We have received a lot of information about people in need of rescue and there are people waiting for help,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday after an emergency task force meeting.

    “Rescue efforts are being made by the local authorities, police, firefighters and other operational units, while the number of personnel and rescue dogs is enhanced.

    “However, we ask you to remain fully mindful that we are in a race against time and to continue to do your utmost to save lives, putting people’s lives first,” Kishida said.

    The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has issued a heavy rain warning in the area.

    “Be on the lookout for landslides until the evening of Wednesday,” the agency said.

    In the coastal city of Suzu, mayor Masuhiro Izumiya said there were “almost no houses standing”.

    “About 90 per cent of the houses (in the town) are completely or almost completely destroyed… the situation is really catastrophic,” he said, according to broadcaster TBS.

    A woman at a shelter in the town of Shika told TV Asahi that she “hasn’t been able to sleep” due to aftershocks.

    “I’ve been scared because we don’t know when the next quake will hit,” she said.

    Nearly 34,000 households were still without power in Ishikawa prefecture, the local utility said.

    Many cities were without running water.

    Shinkansen bullet trains and highways have resumed operations after several thousand people were stranded, some for almost 24 hours.

    The US Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 7.5, while the JMA measured it at 7.6, triggering a major tsunami warning.

    The powerful quake was one of more than 400 to shake the region through Wednesday morning, the JMA said.

    Japan lifted all tsunami warnings after waves at least 1.2m high hit the town of Wajima and a series of smaller tsunamis were reported elsewhere.

    Japan experiences hundreds of earthquakes every year and the vast majority cause no damage.

    The number of earthquakes in the Noto Peninsula region has been steadily increasing since 2018, a Japanese government report said last year.

    The country is haunted by a massive 9.0-magnitude undersea quake off northeastern Japan in 2011, which triggered a tsunami that left around 18,500 people dead or missing.

    It also swamped the Fukushima atomic plant, causing one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters.

  • Japan quake death toll rises to 48: official

    Japan quake death toll rises to 48: official

    At least 48 people are confirmed dead following a major earthquake in Japan, a local official said.

    The official in Ishikawa prefecture, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP the “death toll has reached 48”.

    Japanese rescuers battled against the clock and powerful aftershocks Tuesday to find survivors of a major earthquake that struck on New Year’s Day, killing at least six people and leaving a trail of destruction.

    The 7.5-magnitude quake, which hit Ishikawa prefecture on the main island of Honshu, triggered tsunami waves over a metre high, toppled buildings, caused a major port fire and tore apart roads.

    As daylight arrived, the scale of the destruction in Ishikawa emerged with buildings still smouldering, houses flattened and fishing boats sunk or washed ashore.

    “Very extensive damage has been confirmed, including numerous casualties, building collapses and fires,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after a disaster response meeting.

    “We have to race against time to search for and rescue victims of the disaster.”

    Police said six people had been killed although the toll was almost certain to climb. The Kyodo news agency reported that 13 people had died, including seven in the badly hit port of Wajima.

    Aerial news footage showed devastation from a major fire at the port, where a seven-storey building collapsed.

    Almost 45,000 households were without power in the region which saw temperatures touch freezing overnight, the local energy provider said. Many cities were without running water.

    The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake had a magnitude of 7.5. Japan’s meteorological agency measured it at 7.6, and said it was one of more than 150 to shake the region through Tuesday morning.

    Several strong jolts were felt early Tuesday, including one measuring 5.6 percent that prompted national broadcaster NHK to switch to a special programme.

    “Please take deep breaths,” the presenter said, reminding viewers to check for fires in their kitchens.

    Tsunami warning lifted

    On Monday waves at least 1.2 metres (four feet) high hit Wajima on Monday, and a series of smaller tsunamis were reported elsewhere.

    But warnings of much larger waves proved unfounded and on Tuesday Japan lifted all tsunami warnings.

    Images on social media showed cars and houses in Ishikawa shaking violently and terrified people cowering in shops and train stations. Houses collapsed and huge cracks appeared in roads.

    A team of firefighters crawled under a collapsed, large commercial building in Wajima, television footage showed.

    “Hang in there! Hang in there,” they shouted as they battled through piles of wooden beams with an electric saw.

    “There were shaking that I have never experienced before, a local elderly man told NHK.

    “Inside my house, it was so terrible… I am still alive. Maybe I have to  be content with that.”

    The fire in Wajima engulfed a row of houses, video footage showed, with people being evacuated in the dark, some with blankets and others carrying babies.

    A duty officer at Wajima Fire Department said they still were being overwhelmed Tuesday by rescue requests and reports of damages.

    A total of 62,000 people had been ordered to evacuate, according to the fire and disaster management agency.

    About 1,000 people were staying at a military base, the defence ministry said.

    Bullet trains suspended

    Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said 1,000 military personnel were preparing to go to the region, while 8,500 others were on standby. Around 20 military aircraft were dispatched to survey the damage.

    Monday’s quake shook apartments in the capital Tokyo some 300 kilometres away, where a public New Year greeting event that was to be attended by Emperor Naruhito and his family members was cancelled.

    Several major highways were closed around the epicentre, Japan’s road operator said, and bullet train services from Tokyo were also suspended.

    Japan experiences hundreds of earthquakes every year and the vast majority cause no damage.

    The country has strict regulations intended to ensure buildings can withstand strong quakes and routinely holds emergency drills.

    But the country is haunted by the memory of a massive 9.0-magnitude undersea quake off northeastern Japan in March 2011, which triggered a tsunami that left around 18,500 people dead or missing.

    The 2011 tsunami also sent three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant, causing Japan’s worst post-war disaster and the most serious nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

    Japan’s nuclear authority said there were no abnormalities reported at the Shika atomic power plant in Ishikawa or at other plants after Monday’s quake.

    In Washington, US President Joe Biden was briefed on Monday’s quake and offered Japan “any necessary assistance” to cope with the aftermath.

    French President Emmanuel Macron expressed “solidarity” while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered condolences and assistance.

  • First Tsunami Waves Hit Japan After Major Quake: Weather Agency

    First Tsunami Waves Hit Japan After Major Quake: Weather Agency

    The first tsunami waves, some more than a metre high, arrived on the north coast of central Japan on Monday after a series of powerful earthquakes rocked the region.

    Waves as high as 1.2 meters (four feet) hit Wajima port in Ishikawa prefecture at 4:21 pm (0721 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency said, after the US Geological Survey and other agencies registered a major 7.5 magnitude quake little more than 10 minutes earlier.

    Total of 21 earthquakes above 4.0 magnitude hit Japan.

  • Five standout events of the year 2023 in the world

    Five standout events of the year 2023 in the world

    Diplomats like Maliha Lodhi had predicted that 2023 was going to be a “world of uncertainty” and that proved somewhat true. The world witnessed a hotchpotch of events where at one end a positive step was taken to restore peace in the Middle East when China brokered a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia but Israel’s war on Gaza made everything fall apart.

    Apart from the man-made conflicts, nature also lashed out with climate change emerging as a dark reality the world can no longer ignore.

    Earthquake in Syria and Turkey

    Early in the year, a ferocious earthquake in Syria and Turkey cost more than 67, 000 lives, a staggering number. It hit southern and central parts of Turkey and northern and western parts of Syria on the morning of February 6. Thousands of buildings were destroyed with the severe magnitude 7.7 quake and aftershocks that struck Antakya within hours. It is estimated to be the most severe earthquake in Turkey since 1939.

    Iran and Saudi Arabia’s friendship mediated by China

    In an unexpected turn of events, China mediated a deal between arch-enemies Saudi Arabia and Iran in March, earlier this year, surprising the world. The thawing of relations was termed a major blow to the overpowering role of the USA in the region and was dubbed a “wave of reconciliation”.

    Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi for the first time post the deal on the sidelines of the joint Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh on December 9, 2023, a moment for the history books.

    Titan submarine

    The tragedy of the Titan submarine came at a point when the world was witnessing the humongous tragedy of the immigrant boat disaster in Greece. In the first one, five men of rich backgrounds lost their lives in an adventurous pursuit while in the latter, 80 people died, and more than 500 went missing in the sea as the over-crowded ship sank.

    The glaring irony sent shockwaves all around the world where a group paid billions of dollars for their death in the name of seeing an archive deep in the sea and the other died by getting suffocated by being cramped in the basement of a ship. The illegal immigrants were denied entry in Greece and due to overloading, it sank. The incident also pointed towards the core racism in the world because the victims were largely brown Asians and Africans while the white population was saved by the authorities.

    Barbenheimer
    The Barbenheimer phenomenon marked the revival of cinema post-covid that engulfed the world in a frenzy.

    Two big-budget movies were coming out on the same day. One was Christopher Nolan’s directorial Oppenheimer, based on the life of the American scientist, the head of the Manhattan Project, and the creator of the Atomic Bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer. Even though it was about a scientist and the makers were expecting it to attract a niche audience, the movie did great business. The other was the Greta Gerwig directorial Barbie, a live-action, musical based on the life of the famous fictional doll. The audiences had high expectations of how it will be presented and they were not disappointed as the movie went on to break records. The release of the two movies activated the meme brigade to the point that a new pop-culture reference came to life in the form of Barbenheimmer.

    Israel’s War on Gaza

    The war that shook the world was the siege of Gaza by Israel. On October 7 Hamas invaded Israel and took at least 236 hostages. Israel retaliated in what is being called a disproportionate response. The genocide of the poor Gazans has not ended till now with the death toll nearing 21,000 after 80 days of war whereas the Israeli deaths remained at 1200. A short-term truce provided a little break for the return of hostages but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to not stop. Massive protests across the world saw the tide of public opinion turn towards Palestine.

    GAZA CITY, GAZA – OCTOBER 23: A woman holding a girl reacts after Israeli airstrikes hit Ridwan neighborhood of Gaza City, Gaza on October 23, 2023. (Photo by Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images)
  • At least 116 dead in northwest China earthquake

    At least 116 dead in northwest China earthquake

    At least 105 were killed and almost 400 injured in Gansu province, local officials said, after the strong, shallow tremor struck around midnight.

    According to state broadcaster CCTV, 11 others were killed and 100 injured in the city of Haidong in the neighbouring province of Qinghai.

    The quake brought homes crashing down and caused other significant damage, sending people running into the street for safety, state news agency Xinhua said.

    “I was almost scared to death. Look at how my hands and legs are shaking,” said a woman of about 30 in a video posted to a social media account associated with the state-run People’s Daily newspaper.

    “As soon as I ran out of the house, the earth on the mountain gave way, thudding on the roof,” she said as she sat swaddled in a blanket outside, cradling a baby.

    Footage from CCTV showed family possessions visible among strewn masonry from a house that caved in during the quake.

    Rescue work was under way early Tuesday, with Chinese President Xi Jinping calling for “all-out efforts” in the search and relief work.

    Temperatures are below freezing in the high-altitude area, and rescuers should be on guard for secondary disasters, he said according to CCTV.

    The quake, which was logged as magnitude 5.9 by the US Geological Survey, struck in Gansu near the border with Qinghai, where Haidong is located.

    That epicentre is about 100 kilometres (60 miles) southwest of Gansu province’s capital, Lanzhou.

    Xinhua reported the quake — which was felt in the major city of Xi’an in northern Shaanxi province, about 570 kilometres (350 miles) away — as being magnitude 6.2.

    Several smaller aftershocks followed the initial earthquake, and officials warned that tremors with a magnitude of more than 5.0 were possible in the next few days.

    A quake measured at magnitude 5.2 by USGS was detected further northwest in Xinjiang province on Monday morning.

    Freezing temperatures

    Power and water supplies were disrupted in some villages around the epicentre, Xinhua said.

    Footage from one of the worst-hit places on CCTV showed residents warming themselves by a fire while emergency services set up tents.

    CCTV said more than 1,400 firefighters and rescue personnel had been sent to the disaster zone, while another 1,600 remained “on standby”.

    The broadcaster added that supplies including drinking water, blankets, stoves and instant noodles were also being sent to the affected area.

    Footage showed emergency vehicles driving along snow-lined highways towards the scene with their lights flashing.

    Rescue workers in overalls were pictured shoulder-to-shoulder in the trucks, while other images showed them lining up in ranks to receive instructions.

    Other clips showed emergency personnel going through debris by torchlight, unfolding orange stretchers for the casualties.

    Hundreds of people have been evacuated in Gansu, officials said.

    The earthquake struck at a shallow depth at 11:59 pm local time Monday (1559 GMT), according to the USGS, which revised the magnitude downwards after initially reporting it to be 6.0.

    Earthquakes are not uncommon in China. In August, a shallow 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck eastern China, injuring 23 people and collapsing dozens of buildings.

    In September 2022, a 6.6-magnitude quake hit Sichuan province leaving almost 100 dead.

    A 7.9-magnitude quake in 2008 left more than 87,000 people dead or missing, including 5,335 schoolchildren.

  • Another earthquake of 6.3 magnitude hits Afghanistan

    As per the United States Geological Survey, yet another earthquake occurred in Afghanistan at a shallow depth at around 5:10 am local time on Wednesday, with its epicenter about 29 kilometres north of the city of Herat.

    No casualties have been reported till now.

    According to the Associated Press, Ministry of Information spokesperson Abdul Wahid Rayan has said that at least 80 people have been injured and a landslide has blocked the main Herat-Torghundi highway.

    This is the second deadliest aftershock in the region after Saturday’s earthquake which destroyed 11 villages and has devastated 12,000 people. The death toll has exceeded 2,400 fatalities. Afghanistan is frequently hit by deadly earthquakes, but this weekend’s disaster was the worst to strike the war-ravaged country in more than 25 years.

    Rescue efforts are being hampered by poor infrastructure and lack of resources.

  • Afghanistan Earthquake: Pakistan to send medical team, 50 tents, 500 blankets and more in humanitarian aid

    Afghanistan Earthquake: Pakistan to send medical team, 50 tents, 500 blankets and more in humanitarian aid

    As per the latest update, about 2,500 people have died as a consequence of a severe earthquake that jolted Afghanistan on Saturday.

    An earthquake of a magnitude of 6.3 hit the province of Herat in the troubled country, becoming one of the deadliest quakss experienced in the past two decades in Afghanistan.

    It jostled the districts of Zenda Jan and Ghorian.

    According to Abdul Wahid Rayan, spokesperson for the Ministry of Information and Culture, about six villages have been destroyed and hundreds of civilians have been buried under the debris

    As of Sunday, 1,240 people were injured and 1,320 houses were completely destroyed.

    While Afghanistan’s healthcare system is majorly dependent on foreign aid, China’s Red Cross Society has offered $200,000 in emergency cash aid.

    UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric has stated, “The United Nations and our partners in Afghanistan are coordinating with the de facto authorities to swiftly assess needs and provide emergency assistance,”

    According to the UN, its Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has deployed teams “to join ongoing humanitarian efforts” and dispatched 10,000 hygiene kits, 5,000 family kits, 1,500 sets of winter clothes, blankets, 1,000 tarpaulins, and basic household items, “which will complement support provided by other UN agencies and partners”.

    Pakistan’s Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter) stating that Pakistan stands in solidarity with Afghans during this difficult time.

    Pakistan Foreign Office also posted on social media stating that the country is in contact with Afghan authorities to get a “first-hand assessment of the urgent needs” of the victims and that Pakistan will extend “all possible support to the recovery effort.”

  • Earthquake predicted in Pakistan hits India, Nepal

    Earthquake predicted in Pakistan hits India, Nepal

    An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 on the Richter scale has jolted New Delhi and parts of Nepal late on Monday afternoon.

    However, according to the Solar System Geometry Survey, the magnitude of the earthquake was 5.7 while its depth was 7km.

    The earthquake is said to have lasted for more than 40 seconds, as reported by Hindustan Times.

    Simultaneously, as per the NDTV, two earthquakes shook Nepal with magnitudes of 4.6 and 6.2 in a time span of 25 minutes.

    The tremors were also felt in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow, Hapur, and Amroha along with parts of Uttarakhand.

    On October 1, a Dutch research organisation predicted that a severe tremor that may hit Pakistan in the coming days.

    But the scientific community did not pay much heed to Solar System Geometry Survey (SSGS) of the Netherlands because scientifically, it is impossible to actually predict an earthquake.

    As per the predictions, nonetheless, the earthquake was to hit along the Chaman fault line, in Balochistan.

  • Morocco’s earthquake death toll rises above 2,100

    The total number of people who died in Friday’s deadly earthquake in Morocco has risen to 2,122 with the number set to rise further as recovery operations proceed.

    On Friday night, around 11:11 pm local time, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the area around the ancient city of Marrakech, with tremors spreading deep into rural communities on Atlas Mountains.

    The country has announced a three-day mourning period as local and foreign rescuers mount frantic searches for survivors buried beneath rubble.

    The earthquake, originating from the High Atlas Mountains located southwest of Marrakesh, was felt across the country, including in the provinces of Ouarzazate, Marrakesh, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant; travelling all the way to southern Spain.

    As of now, 2,421 people have been injured while the United Nations has estimated that about 300,000 people have been affected.

    Since the catastrophe, locals have been sleeping on the streets in towns and cities. Rural areas have taken a huge blow, while a historically significant 12th century mosque has also collapsed along with parts of Marrakech old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

    Al-Jazeera spoke with Lanchen Haddad, a Moroccan senator and former minister, who said that the area was “not known for being active in terms of earthquakes”.

    “There’s not been very many earthquakes in that part of Morocco, most occur in the area much farther north on the Mediterranean coast near the tectonic plate,”

    World offers aid

    The rescue operation in remote mountain areas was mainly undertaken by local teams and no broad demand for international aid had been issued by the capital, Rabat, up till Sunday.

    Many countries have offered aid to Morocco including Spain, Tunisia, Qatar, Italy, Israel.
    Turkey, US and Taiwan have rescue teams and specialist search ready and are ready to dispatch their aid as soon as Morocco send a green signal.

    Its neighbour, Algeria, has a frictional relationship with Morocco, but after the tragedy, it opened its airspace that was closed for two years, to ease the flights carrying humanitarian aid and the injured.

    At the G20 Summit in New Delhi, President Emmanuel Macron said, “France is ready to offer aid to Morocco if Morocco decides it is useful,”

    “The second they request this aid, it will be deployed,” he added.

  • 18 years after 2005 earthquake, survivor reunites with family

    18 years after 2005 earthquake, survivor reunites with family

    A ‘survivor’ of the devastating earthquake of 2005 has returned to Balakot to search for his family, DAWN has reported.

    On Sunday, Ijaz Ahmed contacted local police to ask for their help in searching for his family.

    He said that his school was razed in the 2005 earthquake when he was a child. Injured by the collapse of the building, he was shifted to Rawalpindi for treatment.

    Ahmed claims he was abducted and sold to people linked to brick kilns. “I was sold four times in different cities and worked as a bonded labourer at brick kilns,” he told DAWN.

    He told the police that his father’s name was Anwar while his mother’s name was Naseem Akhtar.

    A large number of people showed up at the police station upon hearing the news. Miraculously, Anwar was among the crowd.

    The father and son had a tearful reunion. Police have said they will carry out DNA tests to ascertain paternity.