At Least 73 Dead in Japan's Noto Peninsula Earthquake... Concerns Over Additional Casualties

The cumulative death toll from the magnitude 7.6 earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Honshu, Japan, on the 1st has risen to at least 73.

Police are conducting rescue operations near buildings collapsed by the earthquake on the 2nd in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. / Photo by Yonhap News

Kyodo News and local public broadcaster NHK reported that, based on announcements from Ishikawa Prefecture and Wajima City authorities, the death toll was counted at 73 as of 6 p.m. on the 3rd. By region, there were 39 deaths in Wajima City, 23 in Suzu City, and 5 in Nanao City.

Kyodo News stated that the number of deaths directly caused by the earthquake, such as from building collapses, is the third highest since the Great Hanshin Earthquake in January 1995. NHK reported that the number of injured reached 323 in Ishikawa Prefecture alone, and the total is higher when including adjacent areas. Moreover, since the Japanese government has not yet fully assessed the overall damage, there are concerns that the scale of casualties may increase further.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at a noon press conference that "reports indicate about 130 rescue requests," adding, "Rescuing victims is a race against time." It is known that the Self-Defense Forces have increased their on-site support personnel to 2,000, strengthening the rescue support system.

NHK reported that as of 5 p.m. in Ishikawa Prefecture, power supply was cut off to 32,500 households, and at least 95,000 households were experiencing water outages.

The fear of aftershocks continues on the Noto Peninsula. The Japan Meteorological Agency announced that from around 4 p.m. on the 1st, when the main earthquake occurred, until around 4 p.m. on the same day, 521 earthquakes with a seismic intensity of 1 or higher were observed on the Noto Peninsula.

The Japan Meteorological Agency’s seismic intensity scale, called "shindo," is a relative concept that quantifies the degree of shaking felt by people in the affected area or the movement of surrounding objects. It differs from magnitude, which indicates the absolute strength of an earthquake.

Notably, at 10:54 a.m. on the same day, a magnitude 5.6 aftershock occurred. This aftershock caused a seismic intensity of 5 strong (shindo 5+) to be felt in Wajima City. A shindo 5+ shaking level means most people find it difficult to walk without holding onto something.

Meanwhile, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a rain damage warning for Wajima City, where the highest number of deaths occurred, due to heavy rain-triggered landslides and other risks. It warned that after 6 p.m. on the day, rainfall would be up to 15 mm per hour, and on the 4th, up to 50 mm of rain is expected over 24 hours, urging caution against landslides and related hazards.

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