UPDATE:
The strong, numerous earthquakes that struck central Japan on Monday killed at least 48 people.
It appears to be no problem with the nuclear plants, authorities say.
A total of about 1,000 soldiers, 2,000 firefighters and about 630 police involved in search and rescue operations in quake-hit areas.
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Japan was struck by a series of powerful earthquakes on New Year’s Day that killed at least three people, reduced hundreds of buildings to rubble, and forced tens of thousands to flee to higher ground.
The quakes occurred off the coast of Ishikawa a little after 4 p.m. local time (2 a.m. ET) with one reaching a magnitude of 7.6, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported.
Praying for everybody in Japan, in the earthquake. #Tsunami #Japan #Earthquake pic.twitter.com/6tnd2sVjqj
— Erin Elizabeth Health Nut News 🙌 (@unhealthytruth) January 1, 2024
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters he would personally lead the nation’s disaster response and has already been in touch with the mayors of two cities on the Noto Peninsula hit hard by the quakes, Suzu and Wajima, both of which are about 325 miles west of Tokyo.
🚨BREAKING: Japan just got hit by a 7.8 earthquake folllwed by a 6.2.
Tsunamis are starting to arrive.
Evacuations ordered#grindfacetv pic.twitter.com/tHmKQHbu1x
— GrindFace TV (Entertainment) (@grindfacetv) January 1, 2024
Not long after, the White House issued a statement pledging to help Japan if needed.
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“My administration is in touch with Japanese officials, and the United States stands ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Japanese people,” President Joe Biden said.
⚠️ 🇯🇵 | ÚLTIMA HORA #MakroNoticias 🚨
La region de Ishikawa #Japan recibio el 2024, con una sucesion de 21 terremotos, el más poderoso que se registro fue de 7.6 grados, generando alertas de tsunami en toda la costa occidental del país.#earthquake #Terremoto #Japon pic.twitter.com/AhocQPUvyh— MakroDigital Televisión | Más cerca de tí (@MakroDigitalTV) January 1, 2024
So far, three deaths have been reported – two in Nanao City and one in Shika Town, Japanese broadcaster NTV reported, citing information from local police. All were due to building collapses.
Continue here: yahoo, NBC
