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Tokyo: A massive earthquake of 6.0 magnitude hit central Japan on Tuesday, causing strong tremors across the country, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. But no tsunami warning was issued. The huge earthquake hit the Sea of Japan coast, rattling the same part of the country where a huge tremor on New Year’s Day and its aftershocks caused widespread destruction, killing more than 200 people.
Over 64 people were killed in the massive earthquake of 7.5 magnitude that struck the Noto Peninsula and surrounding areas in central Japan, Kyodo News reported. The rubble and severed roads still prevent search and rescue operations in the quake-hit regions.
The earthquake has caused structural damage and fires in the city of Wajima in Ishikawa Prefecture. However, the full extent of the disaster caused by the powerful earthquake remains unknown.
The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of potential mudslides as intermittent rain is expected through Thursday in the disaster-stricken regions of the prefecture, where some villages continue to remain cut off, Kyodo News reported.
Japan’s Self-Defence Forces (JSDF) were set to deploy helicopters to provide supplies to cut-off regions, with local authorities urging the central government to send SDF personnel for a disaster relief mission.
While addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the government had decided to increase the number of SDF personnel working in disaster-hit
He made the press conference a day after the Japan Airlines Co. plane and a Japan Coast Guard aircraft carrying relief material collided at Tokyo’s Haneda airport, sparking concerns that the accident could hinder the delivery of supplies to the Noto Peninsula and its surrounding areas.
Kishida said, “Overall, we believe that there is no impact from the accident. Transportation of relief supplies to the areas has been progressing steadily,” Kyodo News reported.
Meanwhile, municipal authorities said they had received information regarding several cases of people being buried alive or trapped under collapsed homes in the earthquake-hit regions where strong earthquakes have occurred.
On January 1, the earthquake was centred around 30 kilometres east-northeast of Wajima with a provisional depth of 16 km and registered the highest level of 7 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale, according to the agency.
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