Dozens of people are feared trapped under rubble in southern Japan, as the death toll from two earthquakes has climbed to 41. The search for survivors is in full swing, while 90,000 people have been evacuated from their homes to safer locations.
Over 200 aftershocks have hit Japan following the initial Thursday tremor of 6.5-magnitude, which hit the city of Kumamoto on the island of Kyushu. Officials have warned that the risk of further strong aftershocks will linger for about a week.
About 190 of the injured are in serious condition, the Japanese government said.
Only 24 hours later the same areas was struck by a violent 7.1-magnitude earthquake. The Japan Meteorological Agency briefly issued tsunami warnings for the areas that were still recovering from Thursday’s devastating tremors.
The overall death toll from the two quakes now stands at 41, with more than 1,000 people injured – 184 of them seriously.
About 90,000 people in Kumamoto Prefecture were evacuated to shelters, authorities say.
“We are aware of multiple locations where people have been buried alive,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said. “Police, firefighters and Self Defense Force personnel are doing all they can to rescue them.”
The death toll in the earthquakes may be climbing by the hour, Kumamoto Prefectural official Tomoyuki Tanaka said.
About 170,000 households were without electricity and 385,000 without water following the powerful quakes.
Yuichiro Yoshikado described his experience during Thursday’s earthquake to AP. He was in the bathroom at the time.
“I grabbed onto the sides of the bathtub, but the water in the tub, it was about 70 percent filled with water, was going like this,” he said, waving his arms, “and all the water splashed out.”
“I thought I was going to die and I couldn’t bear it any longer,” he added.
Among 29 casualties are two students from Tokai University.
“We offer our sincerest prayers for the two,” said a University statement. “We’re trying to confirm the safety of other students.”
“I felt strong shaking at first, then I was thrown about like I was in a washing machine,” a Tokai University student told local media, “All the lights went out and I heard a loud noise. A lot of gas is leaking and while there hasn’t been a fire, that remains a concern.”
The quakes triggered massive landslides, which cut off roads and destroyed bridges, local media reported, adding that they imperiled rescue and relief efforts.
Meteorologists forecast heavy rain and wind, adding that the temperature is expected to drop to 13 degrees Celsius.
“The wind is expected to pick up and rain will likely get heavier,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said during a government meeting. “Rescue operations at night will be extremely difficult … It’s a race against time.”
