The death toll from a powerful earthquake in central Japan rose to 30 on Tuesday, local authorities said, with 14 others seriously injured. Half the deaths were recorded in the city of Wajima, where a huge blaze tore through homes, the Ishikawa prefectural government said. The 7.5-magnitude quake, which hit Ishikawa prefecture on the main island of Honshu, triggered tsunami waves more than a metre high, toppled buildings, caused a major fire and tore apart roads. As daylight arrived, the scale of the destruction on the Noto Peninsula emerged with buildings still smouldering, houses flattened, fishing boats sunk or washed ashore and highways hit by landslides. “It was such a powerful jolt,” Tsugumasa Mihara, 73, told as he queued with hundreds of others for water in the town of Shika. “What a terrible way to start

the year,” he said. Police said six people had been killed although the toll was almost certain to climb. The Kyodo news agency reported that 24 people had died, including 15 in the badly hit port city of Wajima. “Very extensive damage has been confirmed, including numerous casualties, building collapses and fires,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after a disaster response meeting. “We have to race against time to search for and rescue victims of the disaster.” Aerial news footage showed devastation from the major fire in Wajima, where a seven-storey commercial building collapsed.

Almost 45,000 households were without power in the region, which saw temperatures touch freezing overnight, the local energy provider said. Many cities were without running water. The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake had a magnitude of 7.5. Japan’s meteorological agency measured it at 7.6, and said it was one of more than 150 to shake the region through Tuesday morning. Several strong jolts were felt early Tuesday, including one measuring 5.6 that prompted national broadcaster NHK to switch to a special programme. “Please take deep breaths,” the presenter said, reminding viewers to check for fires in their kitchens.

 Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)