7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes Japan; 30 confirmed dead

A massive earthquake has rocked Japan, collapsing buildings and the government issuing a tsunami warning.

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30 people confirmed dead

Update 1:11 a.m. EST Jan. 2: Officials said that 30 people were confirmed dead in Ishikawa, according to The Associated Press. Buildings, vehicles and boats were damaged after the 7.6 magnitude earthquake, and officials warned residents to stay away from their homes due to the risk of more earthquakes.

Seven people were seriously injured, officials said.

Original report: The number of casualties caused by the quake has not been determined, The Associated Press reported.

More than a dozen earthquakes, with the highest registering 7.5, northeast of Anamizu in the Ishikawa prefecture, just after 4 p.m. local time.

The Japan Meteorological Agency had initially issued the highest-level tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower levels for other areas but has since lowered the alert to either warnings or advisories for Honshu and Hokkaido.

There still is a threat of a tsunami with waters reaching 10 feet, along with potential aftershocks rocking the same area for the next few days.

The Hayashi government said that people living on the coast should leave their homes.

“Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately,” government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said. Some people have been evacuated to stadiums. Schools are also being used as evacuation sites.

About 1,000 members of the military have been deployed to help with rescue and recovery efforts with another 8,500 on standby, CNN reported.

Ishikawa has damaged buildings, power outages, fires and cracked roads. In Wajima City, damaged roofs and wooden beams are scattered across the city.

As many as 33,000 homes are without power and the power converter at the Shika nuclear power plant was affected but with “no major results,” according to CNN. There was no problem with the plant’s reactors the country’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said.

It has been 13 years since an earthquake-caused tsunami damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Roads are closed, some flights are canceled and the country’s famous bullet train was stopped in some regions but selected services have been restored. Still, the transportation issues may have an impact on the medical response as some doctors are unable to get to work because of the damaged roads while one hospital in Suzu is running on a spare generator due to power outages, while medical staff at another are treating patients in a parking lot.

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Japan earthquake An infographic titled 'Series of powerful earthquakes strikes Japan, triggering tsunami alert' was created in Ankara, Turkiye on January 1, 2024. (Photo by Muhammed Ali Yigit/Anadolu via Getty Images) (Anadolu/Anadolu via Getty Images)