Tokyo: The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday has climbed to 28, including those suspected to be disaster-related, local media reported on Thursday, citing a government spokesperson.
Search operations are underway at Nippon Paper Industries Co.’s plant in Yatsushiro, where one person was missing.
According to data released by the Kumamoto prefectural government, the confirmed deaths stood at 17, including eight at the paper plant and five at an Aeon shopping mall in Kashima, which was struck by an explosion after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit the prefecture on Tuesday, Japan’s Kyodo News reported.
According to the government tally, six other people showed no important signs. The number of casualties is feared to increase as several houses have collapsed in the impacted region.
While addressing a press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said that casualty figures released by the central government and Kumamoto Prefecture are different, as the state depends on data shared by fire and police departments while the prefecture mentions the statistics reported by municipalities, Kyodo News reported.
Currently, over 10,000 people are staying in evacuation centres. Around 23,000 households were facing power outages, and about 75,000 households did not have water, according to the prefecture.
The earthquake of magnitude 7.1 struck Kumamoto Prefecture at a depth of 10 kilometres at 4:27 pm (local time) on Tuesday, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said.
On Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held the Second Extraordinary Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting for the Kumamoto earthquake. Kumamoto Prefecture Governor Kimura, as well as Deputy Minister Tsushima of the Cabinet Office, attended the meeting virtually.
Takaichi offered condolences to the victims and expressed sympathies with the bereaved families. She assured that the Japanese government is working swiftly to assess the damage caused by the earthquake, while relevant ministries and agencies are working to address initial responses.
The Japanese PM expressed the government’s commitment to restore essential infrastructure like electricity in regions impacted by power outages and water shortages. The Self-Defence Forces have, meanwhile, been conducting water supply operations and carrying patients.
Following the meeting, Takaichi, in a post on X, wrote, “Regarding search and rescue operations, the Self-Defense Forces have been reinforced to approximately 4,600 personnel, the police to approximately 2,000, and the fire services to approximately 1,400, with tireless search and rescue activities underway.”
“Search and rescue operations are a race against time. At sites including ‘ION Mall Kumamoto’ and the ‘Nippon Paper Yatsushiro Mill,’ there are still people awaiting rescue. I requested that each operational unit, while strengthening personnel and equipment, devote every effort to saving and rescuing as many lives as possible,” she added.
(IANS)
