Quakes Kill 30, Destroy Buildings In Western Japan

A series of powerful earthquakes hit western Japan, leaving at least 30 people dead and damaging buildings, vehicles, and boats, as reported by Hiro Komae and Yuri Kageyama for the Associated Press (AP).

Aftershocks continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas a day after a magnitude 7.6 temblor slammed the area on Monday afternoon. I Photo: Kyodo

Aftershocks continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas a day after a magnitude 7.6 temblor slammed the area on Monday afternoon.

Thirty people were confirmed dead in Ishikawa, officials said. Seven others were seriously injured, while damage to homes was so great that it could not immediately be assessed, they said.

"Saving lives is our priority, and we are fighting a battle against time,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday.

“It is critical that people trapped in homes get rescued immediately.” Japan’s military dispatched 1,000 soldiers to the disaster zones to join rescue efforts, Kishida said, stressing they were facing “large-scale damage.”

Details of damaged homes were still under investigation, he said. Firefighters were able to bring a fire under control in Wajima city, which had reddened the sky with embers and smoke.

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