Sundiata Post – Major earthquakes have hit Japan, leaving at least 48 people dead and emergency services facing a “battle against time” to rescue those who could be trapped under rubble.
All tsunami warnings have been downgraded as of this morning but there are warnings of possible further tremors.
● Witness: Epicentre is still difficult to reach
It is still incredibly difficult to reach the northern Noto Peninsula where the epicentre of the 7.6 quake was and where the worst of the damage is.
Not only are airports in the area running major delays or have they closed completely, but some link roads are also damaged and shut to vehicles.
A major highway that runs up the western coast of Ishikawa province was largely closed, and vehicles redirected – we were able to walk straight down the middle of it.
At the closed junction, we met Masamichi Yoshitsunaki, an aid worker who has worked in disaster relief for 20 years.
His truck is full of food, water, and warm clothes to support those who are displaced and evacuated.
He says he is deeply worried about the people affected, it is bitterly cold, and many have lost everything .
“They are asking ‘why us?’,” he said.
He reminds us that while Japan is not unused to earthquakes, this one has hit hard.
● Coast Guard aeroplane was set to deliver aid
The plane belonging to the Japanese Coast Guard involved in the collision at Haneda airport (as we reported in our 9.47am post) was set to deliver aid to the Niigata area.
The region, located to the north of the west coast, was hit hard by the earthquake yesterday.
It also saw a tsunami of 40 centimetres yesterday afternoon.
The captain of the plane set to deliver aid to the region managed to escape the aircraft, but five other crew members were initially unaccounted for.
They have now been found – although their condition is unknown, according to the Kyoto fire department.
South Korea’s government protested to Japan over one of its tsunami advisory warnings issued yesterday.
The warnings map released showed a group of islands, called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, which Tokyo listed as its own.
The islands sit between the two countries in the Sea Japan, also known as the East Sea.
Despite improving ties between the two countries, the islands are still under territorial dispute.
Seoul released this update: “Our government has sternly protested to Japan through a diplomatic channel and requested corrective action.
