Capitala Japoniei, Tokyo, si zona din imprejurmi au fost zguduite, vineri seara, de un cutremur puternic, de 6,8 grade pe scala Richter.
Cutremurul a fost urmat de cel putin patru replici importante. Seismele au provocat pene de curent in zona Niigata, alunecari de teren si crapaturi in asfaltul drumurilor. Zidurile unor cladiri din beton au crapat. Cel putin un tren de mare viteza a deraiat, transmite BBC.
Military helicopters evacuated earthquake victims from a wrecked village and traumatized residents huddled in shelters and salvaged belongings from flattened homes Sunday in the aftermath of a string of earthquakes in northern Japan that killed at least 17 people and reportedly injured 900 others. Four people were believed missing.
A 6.8-magnitude quake centered in Ojiya, about 260 kilometers (160 miles) northwest of Tokyo, rocked the area on Saturday evening, knocking a bullet train from its rails, ripping through roadways and rattling buildings as far away as the Japanese capital. Several strong quakes followed through the night, and aftershocks continued to jolt the area Sunday morning.
Tens of thousands of rural residents _ many of them elderly _ were evacuated from flattened homes to emergency shelters, and Japan\'s military used helicopters to airlift stranded villagers from a riverside hamlet, Shiotani, that was cut off when the bridge connecting it to Ojiya was toppled. Yamagoshi, a mountain village of 600, was completely isolated after its only road was washed away in a landslide that upended homes and cars. Residents awaited airlifted food and other supplies.
The injured overwhelmed small local hospitals, where patients were being treated in the hallways. Electricity was cut off to nearly 300,000 homes, highways were ripped in half and overpasses toppled by the force of the quakes. The bullet train derailment was the first since such trains began running in Japan in 1964.
Despite the destruction, the areas hit were in largely rural Niigata Prefecture, sparing Japan the much larger death toll had the quakes struck a major city.
\"We are lucky to be alive,\" said Akio Kazama, 71, as he used a crowbar early Sunday to dig his smashed minivan from under a collapsed storehouse. \"I wasn\'t hurt at all, but my wife broke some ribs and is in the hospital.\"
The area was still dangerous early Sunday. Japan\'s Meteorological Agency registered 244 aftershocks _ most too weak to be felt _ following the big quake, and warned that another temblor of similar power could rip across the region over the next week.
Japan\'s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Sunday morning that 15 people had died _ revising down its earlier figures _ and counted 423 injured. NHK, however, put the death toll at 17, citing the discovery two bodies in Nagaoka city. Kyodo News agency estimated some 900 injuries.
It was the deadliest quake since January 1995, when a magnitude-7.2 temblor in Kobe killed more than 6,000 people.
\"Carrying out rescue efforts is the most important task right now,\" Tsutomu Takebe, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said on a talk program aired by NHK. \"The government is making all the effort to assess the extent of the damage.\"
The first quake hit at 5:56 p.m. (0856 GMT) Saturday and was centered about 20 kilometers (12 miles) beneath the earth\'s surface, the Meteorological Agency said. At least a half dozen more tremors hit intermittently over the following hours, including magnitude-6.2 and 5.9 quakes, the agency said.
The second floor of the local branch of Jusco, a nationwide supermarket chain, collapsed.
\"There were 300 customers inside when the earthquake hit, and everyone tried to grab something nearby to keep from being knocked off their feet,\" said Reiko Takahashi, the store\'s manager as she stood guard to prevent looting or possible injuries. \"Several people were hurt by glass shards and falling debris.\"
One employee suffered a deep cut and had to be taken to the hospital for surgery, she said.
Takejiro Hoshino, 75, lost his 12-year-old grandson when their house collapsed.
\"I got out and then we all went back to try to save the others, but it was too late,\" Hoshino said.
Sewage and water mains burst, gas and telephone services were down. Close to 173,000 homes were out of power, said Satoshi Kasugakawa, a spokesman for Tohoku Electric. A major nuclear power plant operated by Tokyo Electric in Kashiwazaki, however, was operating normally.
Across Niigata prefecture (state), 61,000 people were evacuated to emergency shelters. In Ojiya, 14,500 people had taken refuge at 93 different evacuation centers _ mostly school gymnasiums and public halls _ after many had spent the night in their cars, city officials said.
With roads blocked and traffic snarling, the parking lot outside Ojiya city hall had become a makeshift refuge. Because the weather was sunny, many Ojiya residents were also gathered in neighborhood streets.
\"We were on our way back from a wedding,\" said Akiko Sato, one of about a dozen people in tuxedos or formal dresses outside city hall. \"We had to spend the night in our bus. We were just supposed to pass through. I\'m exhausted.\"
The jolt triggered an automatic safety device that temporarily halted train services, according to media reports. Railway officials said at least two trains, including a bullet train, had derailed and some of the cars had tipped over in Niigata prefecture, but nobody appeared to be hurt.
The Meteorological Agency said there was no threat of tsunami, potentially dangerous waves triggered by seismic activity.
The temblors came just days after Japan\'s deadliest typhoon in more than a decade, which left 79 dead and a dozen others missing.
Typhoon Tokage, the record eighth typhoon to hit Japan this year, ripped through the country with high waves and rapid mudslides, demolishing homes and flooding dozens of communities in western Japan before losing power and disappearing over the Pacific Ocean.
Authorities said there were concerns that the shaking could cause topsoil loosened by the storm\'s torrential rains to slide down hillsides.
Japan, which rests atop several tectonic plates, is among the world\'s most earthquake-prone countries. A magnitude-6 quake can cause widespread damage to homes and other buildings if centered in a heavily populated area.
The last big quake to shake Niigata prefecture was a 7.5-magnitude temblor in 1964 that left 26 dead and 447 hurt, a Meteorological Agency spokeswoman said.
Cutremurul a fost urmat de cel putin patru replici importante. Seismele au provocat pene de curent in zona Niigata, alunecari de teren si crapaturi in asfaltul drumurilor. Zidurile unor cladiri din beton au crapat. Cel putin un tren de mare viteza a deraiat, transmite BBC.
Military helicopters evacuated earthquake victims from a wrecked village and traumatized residents huddled in shelters and salvaged belongings from flattened homes Sunday in the aftermath of a string of earthquakes in northern Japan that killed at least 17 people and reportedly injured 900 others. Four people were believed missing.
A 6.8-magnitude quake centered in Ojiya, about 260 kilometers (160 miles) northwest of Tokyo, rocked the area on Saturday evening, knocking a bullet train from its rails, ripping through roadways and rattling buildings as far away as the Japanese capital. Several strong quakes followed through the night, and aftershocks continued to jolt the area Sunday morning.
Tens of thousands of rural residents _ many of them elderly _ were evacuated from flattened homes to emergency shelters, and Japan\'s military used helicopters to airlift stranded villagers from a riverside hamlet, Shiotani, that was cut off when the bridge connecting it to Ojiya was toppled. Yamagoshi, a mountain village of 600, was completely isolated after its only road was washed away in a landslide that upended homes and cars. Residents awaited airlifted food and other supplies.
The injured overwhelmed small local hospitals, where patients were being treated in the hallways. Electricity was cut off to nearly 300,000 homes, highways were ripped in half and overpasses toppled by the force of the quakes. The bullet train derailment was the first since such trains began running in Japan in 1964.
Despite the destruction, the areas hit were in largely rural Niigata Prefecture, sparing Japan the much larger death toll had the quakes struck a major city.
\"We are lucky to be alive,\" said Akio Kazama, 71, as he used a crowbar early Sunday to dig his smashed minivan from under a collapsed storehouse. \"I wasn\'t hurt at all, but my wife broke some ribs and is in the hospital.\"
The area was still dangerous early Sunday. Japan\'s Meteorological Agency registered 244 aftershocks _ most too weak to be felt _ following the big quake, and warned that another temblor of similar power could rip across the region over the next week.
Japan\'s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Sunday morning that 15 people had died _ revising down its earlier figures _ and counted 423 injured. NHK, however, put the death toll at 17, citing the discovery two bodies in Nagaoka city. Kyodo News agency estimated some 900 injuries.
It was the deadliest quake since January 1995, when a magnitude-7.2 temblor in Kobe killed more than 6,000 people.
\"Carrying out rescue efforts is the most important task right now,\" Tsutomu Takebe, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said on a talk program aired by NHK. \"The government is making all the effort to assess the extent of the damage.\"
The first quake hit at 5:56 p.m. (0856 GMT) Saturday and was centered about 20 kilometers (12 miles) beneath the earth\'s surface, the Meteorological Agency said. At least a half dozen more tremors hit intermittently over the following hours, including magnitude-6.2 and 5.9 quakes, the agency said.
The second floor of the local branch of Jusco, a nationwide supermarket chain, collapsed.
\"There were 300 customers inside when the earthquake hit, and everyone tried to grab something nearby to keep from being knocked off their feet,\" said Reiko Takahashi, the store\'s manager as she stood guard to prevent looting or possible injuries. \"Several people were hurt by glass shards and falling debris.\"
One employee suffered a deep cut and had to be taken to the hospital for surgery, she said.
Takejiro Hoshino, 75, lost his 12-year-old grandson when their house collapsed.
\"I got out and then we all went back to try to save the others, but it was too late,\" Hoshino said.
Sewage and water mains burst, gas and telephone services were down. Close to 173,000 homes were out of power, said Satoshi Kasugakawa, a spokesman for Tohoku Electric. A major nuclear power plant operated by Tokyo Electric in Kashiwazaki, however, was operating normally.
Across Niigata prefecture (state), 61,000 people were evacuated to emergency shelters. In Ojiya, 14,500 people had taken refuge at 93 different evacuation centers _ mostly school gymnasiums and public halls _ after many had spent the night in their cars, city officials said.
With roads blocked and traffic snarling, the parking lot outside Ojiya city hall had become a makeshift refuge. Because the weather was sunny, many Ojiya residents were also gathered in neighborhood streets.
\"We were on our way back from a wedding,\" said Akiko Sato, one of about a dozen people in tuxedos or formal dresses outside city hall. \"We had to spend the night in our bus. We were just supposed to pass through. I\'m exhausted.\"
The jolt triggered an automatic safety device that temporarily halted train services, according to media reports. Railway officials said at least two trains, including a bullet train, had derailed and some of the cars had tipped over in Niigata prefecture, but nobody appeared to be hurt.
The Meteorological Agency said there was no threat of tsunami, potentially dangerous waves triggered by seismic activity.
The temblors came just days after Japan\'s deadliest typhoon in more than a decade, which left 79 dead and a dozen others missing.
Typhoon Tokage, the record eighth typhoon to hit Japan this year, ripped through the country with high waves and rapid mudslides, demolishing homes and flooding dozens of communities in western Japan before losing power and disappearing over the Pacific Ocean.
Authorities said there were concerns that the shaking could cause topsoil loosened by the storm\'s torrential rains to slide down hillsides.
Japan, which rests atop several tectonic plates, is among the world\'s most earthquake-prone countries. A magnitude-6 quake can cause widespread damage to homes and other buildings if centered in a heavily populated area.
The last big quake to shake Niigata prefecture was a 7.5-magnitude temblor in 1964 that left 26 dead and 447 hurt, a Meteorological Agency spokeswoman said.