13 bodies have been recovered from the Kumamoto district of Kyushu, the southern main island of the country, after a strong earthquake of magnitude 7.1 in Japan on Tuesday. The death toll is expected to rise as search and rescue operations are still ongoing in the rubble.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said at a press conference on Tuesday night, “Many people are still trapped under various rubbles. Rescue operations must be timed, because every moment is precious. We will use our maximum capacity to rescue everyone trapped.”
This 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Kyushu island at 4:27 PM local time on Tuesday (Bangladesh time 1:27 PM). According to Japan Meteorological and Earthquake Monitoring Agency JMA, the earthquake’s epicenter was about 20 kilometers deep in the sea off the coast of Kumamoto district.
As the earthquake originated in a shallow part of the ocean, strong tremors were felt over a wide area of Kyushu. Kumamoto district was the worst hit. More than 36,000 houses in the district are still without power due to extensive damage to the power supply system. Besides, the road infrastructure has also been severely damaged. Cracks have appeared on most of the roads in the district, hampering rescue operations.
Shortly after the earthquake, search and rescue operations began in the ruins of various areas of Kumamoto. The bodies of these 13 people were recovered by the overnight efforts of the rescue workers until this Wednesday morning local time.
An explosion occurred at a shopping mall in an area of Kumamoto about an hour after the earthquake. It is believed that a leak in the gas supply line of the building was the cause of the explosion. The bodies of two 20-year-old women have been recovered from the rubble of the mall and many people are still missing.
After a large earthquake there is a danger of ‘aftershocks’. Due to this, many residents of the city still remain in earthquake shelters.
Kumamoto is the largest district city in Kyushu. About 7 lakh people live in the city.
Meanwhile, with thousands of homes without electricity and temperatures reaching 34 degrees, the city authorities fear that residents are at risk of heatstroke.
TimesBD/ rabbi
