The earthquake in Japan left 48 dead, and the search continues

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake hit the west coast of central Mexico on Monday Japan left at least 48 dead, according to the latest figures from state broadcaster NHK, which said there could be more people trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.

The wajima city, about 500 kilometers from Tokyo and located in the immediate vicinity of the epicenter of the earthquake, it is one of the hardest hit by the earthquake that caused the collapse of about 25 buildings, among them many private houses, in this city of about 27,000 inhabitants.

It is believed that people may be trapped under the remains of 14 of those buildings, NHK added, citing local firefighters conducting rescue operations.

Among the dead are 19 victims in the city of Wajima20 in Suzu, 5 in Nanao, 2 in Anamizu, 1 in Hakui and 1 in Shiga, all in Ishikawa Prefecture, which suffered significant structural damage and fires.

In each of these cities, dozens of people have been taken to hospital, and rescue efforts are still ongoing, so the death toll is expected to rise in the coming hours.

Footage captured by public broadcaster NHK on Tuesday morning showed the collapsed seven-story building and smoke billowing in the central Wajima area known for its morning market.

A fire broke out in this prefecture that has engulfed more than 200 buildings and is still raging in some areas, although officials say there is little chance of it spreading further.

He Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishidathis morning he held a press conference where he said that he himself would be in charge of disaster management: “I will be the general manager, I will mobilize the Self-Defense Forces, the Japanese Coast Guard, the fire brigade and the police.”

The president assured that it is extremely difficult for cars to access the areas in the north of the Noto peninsula and that the government has already sent supplies by ship.

He the head of Japan’s executive branch He asked the residents of the affected areas “to act safely”, because “the risk of house collapse and landslides increases in places where the earthquakes were strong”.

According to the latest figures this afternoon, about 32,000 people have been evacuated in Ishikawa, Toyama prefectures and other nearby areas, while local air and rail services remain suspended.

About 1000 soldiers from Japanese Self Defense Forces are participating in rescue operations and as of 9:30 a.m. local time (0.30 GMT) today, more than 46,000 people remain evacuated in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures.

The number of homes without power, mostly in Ishikawa, is currently estimated to be in the tens of thousands.

Fortunately, the sea level rise detected in various Japanese locations and even in neighboring South Korea has not caused significant damage.