Aftershocks Overnight in the Area of the Earthquake in Ilgangjin... At Least 4 Dead

After a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck the Noto (能登) Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Honshu, Japan, on the 1st, aftershocks continued until the early morning of the 2nd.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to local public broadcaster NHK, a magnitude 4.9 aftershock occurred around 4:42 a.m. on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture. This earthquake caused shaking of intensity 4. Intensity refers to a relative measure indicating how people in the affected area feel the shaking or how much objects around them move, and is distinct from magnitude, which indicates the absolute strength of the earthquake. Intensity levels range from 0 to 7, with 4 meaning most people are startled.

The Japan Meteorological Agency reported that from 4:10 p.m. on the previous day, when the magnitude 7.6 earthquake occurred, until midnight on the 2nd, 93 earthquakes with an intensity of 1 or higher were observed.

The Meteorological Agency downgraded the tsunami warning issued earlier for parts of Honshu and Hokkaido along the Sea of Japan coast to a tsunami advisory.

The Ishikawa Prefectural authorities, where the strongest shaking occurred, announced that four people died due to the earthquake. Numerous reports of collapsed houses were received in Ishikawa Prefecture, and fires broke out in various locations, raising the possibility of additional casualties. In Toyama Prefecture, which borders Ishikawa, 18 people were injured, including three seriously injured. Niigata Prefecture and Fukui Prefecture also reported 18 and 6 injured people, respectively.

JR East, the railway company, decided to suspend operations on the sections between Nagano Station and Kanazawa Station, and between Echigo-Yuzawa Station and Niigata Station in the morning to inspect the Shinkansen high-speed train facilities. Noto Airport suspended flight operations after cracks longer than 10 meters were found in various parts of the runway. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida planned to hold a meeting of the Emergency Disaster Response Headquarters at the Prime Minister’s Office in the morning to assess the damage situation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.