Breaking & Shocking News: Japan rocked by a Mighty Earthquake

A powerful earthquake that struck Japan on New Year’s Day killed at least 48 people, and rescue teams on Tuesday battled freezing temperatures to reach isolated areas where many people are feared trapped under collapsed buildings.

In Suzu, a coastal town of about 5,000 families located near the epicenter of the quake, 90 percent of homes may have been destroyed, according to Mayor Masuhiro Izumiya.

Strong Earthquake In Central Japan

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Ishikawa Prefecture in central Japan on Monday afternoon, prompting a tsunami warning for regions along the west coast.

The 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck on Monday afternoon, sending people in western coastal areas fleeing to higher ground as tsunami waves swept cars and homes into the water.

About 200 tremors have been detected since the first quake on Monday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, which warned that stronger tremors could occur in the coming days.

A Coast Guard plane flying to help an earthquake-stricken region collided with a passenger plane at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday, killing five Coast Guard crew members and killing all 379 people on board. Japan Airlines narrowly escaped the fire.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the extent of the damage caused by the earthquake was becoming clear more than 24 hours after the quake struck on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Kishida said about 3,000 rescuers were struggling to reach the northern tip of the peninsula, where a helicopter survey found large fires and extensive damage to buildings and structures. There are about 120 people waiting to be rescued, a government spokesman said.

Japan is located in the arc of the “ring of fire” of mountains and sea channels surrounding the Pacific Ocean basin. Japan causes 20 percent of earthquakes of magnitude 6 or higher and experiences 2,000 detectable earthquakes each year.

Most train and air traffic to the region has been suspended. More than 500 people were stranded at Noto Airport, which was closed due to cracks in the runways and walkways and collapsed buildings.

Officials confirmed 48 deaths, all in Ishikawa Prefecture, making it Japan’s deadliest earthquake since 2016. Most of the dead were in Suzu and Wajima, another city north of the Noto Peninsula.

Many were injured, and authorities put out fires in several cities on Tuesday and evacuated people from collapsed buildings.”I’ve never experienced such a strong earthquake,” said Shoichi Kobayashi, 71, a Wajima resident who was eating New Year’s Eve at home with his wife and son when the quake struck, sending furniture flying across the living room.

“Even the aftershocks made recovery difficult,” he said, adding that his family was sleeping in their car because they could not return to their badly damaged home.

The Aftershocks Are The Result of a Powerful Earthquake in Japan

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, hundreds of aftershocks were felt in central Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture after the powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake. Dozens of aftershocks of magnitude 4 and higher caused strong earthquakes in the region.