Shelters take in survivors of quake
FUKUOKA, Japan – Thousands of people took refuge at shelters today as aftershocks battered southern Japan a day after a powerful magnitude-7.0 earthquake damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes, leaving one person dead and hundreds injured.
The temblor hit early Sunday off Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu near Fukuoka city and was followed by some 100 aftershocks, giving the region’s residents a jittery night, the Meteorological Agency said.
The worst damage occurred on Genkai Island, near the epicenter, where the earthquake triggered landslides and leveled homes. In all, 780 homes were damaged and 18 destroyed – most of them on Genkai, the National Police Agency said.
A 75-year-old woman in Fukuoka died after a section of stone wall fell on her. Hundreds of other people – mostly in Fukuoka and Saga states – were injured by toppling cabinets, falling objects and shattered glass. At least 400 people were treated at hospitals, public broadcaster NHK reported.
The Meteorological Agency on Sunday warned of a possible tsunami but lifted the warning about an hour later.
A Fukuoka prefectural police spokesman said the initial jolt, which lasted about 30 seconds, made it difficult to stand. Water and gas pipes burst, hundreds of homes reported power outages and landslides reportedly triggered a safety mechanism that halted local and bullet train service.
NHK showed tall office buildings and street lamps in the center of Fukuoka shaking violently. In residential areas, cracks appeared in sidewalks and parts of retaining walls flaked off.
About 120 Japanese troops flew to Genkai Island to offer food and medical aid. Except for some local officials, all of the island’s 750 residents were evacuated to neighboring Fukuoka city, prefectural official Eiji Tsukamoto said.
As of this morning, nearly 2,800 people in Fukuoka state had been evacuated to temporary shelters with more people expected to join them, he said.
“Aftershocks are still continuing rather frequently,” Tsukamoto said.
Police, defense troops and local officials toured Genkai to assess the damage. “Many houses had collapsed, or may collapse any minute,” police official Kazuhiko Maekawa said. “I must say we were lucky that the number of injuries was relatively small.”
Fukuoka Mayor Hirotaro Yamasaki walked through rows of damaged houses with roofs caving in on Genkai and said he was considering building temporary housing for people who lost homes.
“Looks like we have to rebuild this place from the scratch,” Yamasaki said. “I’m afraid it’ll be a long-term project.”
Sunday’s quake was centered 5 miles below the seabed, close to Genkai Island. Nearby Fukuoka is about 560 miles southwest of Tokyo.
A magnitude-7.0 quake can devastate heavily populated areas. Sunday’s temblor didn’t directly hit a populated area, and injuries and damage were minimized by Japan’s quake-safe buildings.
Located along the Pacific Ocean’s seismically active “Ring of Fire,” Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries.