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Japan earthquake: Rescuers race against time in search for survivors

admin Jan 3, 2024 0

Fifteen people were listed as officially missing and possibly trapped under collapsed buildings

Published Date – 11:00 PM, Wed – 3 January 24

Japan earthquake: Rescuers race against time in search for survivors

Suzu: Japanese rescue workers and canine units searched urgently through rubble on Wednesday ahead of predicted bitter cold and heavy rain in what the prime minister called a race against time after powerful earthquakes killed at least 73 people in western Japan.

Fifteen people were listed as officially missing and possibly trapped under collapsed buildings.

Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas were shaken by more aftershocks on Wednesday, adding to the dozens that followed Monday’s magnitude 7.6 temblor centred near Noto, about 300 kilometres from Tokyo on the opposite coast. The quake set off tsunami warnings, followed by waves measuring more than 1 metre in some places.

The first 72 hours are especially critical for rescues, experts say, because the prospects for survival greatly diminish after that.

“More than 40 hours have passed. This is a race against time, and I feel that we are at a critical moment,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters. “We have received reports many people are still waiting for rescue under collapsed buildings.” The narrow Noto Peninsula has added to the challenges in reaching some communities. Water, power and cellphone service were still down in some areas.

Naomi Gonno says she and her children got out of their house just as it came crashing down.

But her children were screaming “Granma,” and Gonno saw that her mother was trapped under the smashed house, with only her hand visible. She was able to squeeze her way out through a tiny space, Gonno said.

“I can’t believe we’re still alive,” she said. “We are living in fear.” Relief officials handed out water, blankets, food and other supplies. Search dogs joined military personnel and firefighters trying to find missing people, although the exact number is unclear.

Weather forecasts warned of heavy rain in Ishikawa, leading to worries about landslides and further damage to half-crumbled homes. Temperatures were expected to drop to around 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight.

Of the deaths, 39 were counted in Wajima city, while 23 people died in Suzu, according to Ishikawa prefectural authorities. The other deaths were reported in five neighbouring towns.

More than 300 people have been injured, at least 25 of them seriously.

Ishikawa Gov. Hiroshi Hase encouraged everyone to use masks, antiseptic and soap to guard against the spread of infectious diseases as evacuees shelter together. Ensuring adequate water supplies and toilets for those who were displaced is a priority, he said.

Nearly 33,000 people are staying at evacuation centres, and some said they were hungry and cold, unable to sleep and afraid.

When Monday’s quake hit, Yasuo Kobatake ran out of his house with just one sock on. The shaking threw him to the ground, and a concrete wall came crashing down, barely missing him, he said.

He was eating only rice balls and a few sips of water in paper cups at the elementary school where he and others have been sheltering. They slept on cushions, with no blankets.

“It was so cold. I thought I’d freeze to death,” he said.

In the aftermath of the quakes and tsunami, boats lay overturned in the sea, roads were blocked by mounds of dirt, and pillars and walls lay scattered from flattened homes. A large fire turned an entire section of Wajima city into ashes.

Officials warned that more major quakes could follow.

Japan is prone to earthquakes, with many fault lines and volcanoes. A massive quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in 2011 caused widespread damage in northeastern Japan.

No major problems were reported at nuclear plants after Monday’s quake. The Shika nuclear plant in Ishikawa suffered a partial electricity failure, but backup power kicked in, ensuring the critical cooling process continued.

Japan is an organised, conformist and relatively crime-free society where warnings are systematically relayed as a public service. Disaster experts say that’s helping save lives.

Takako Izumi, a disaster science professor at Tohoku University, said time is needed to figure out logistics because roads are often blocked after an earthquake, and large trucks can’t get through to deliver aid.

If land routes aren’t accessible, aid may have to be dropped from the sky or brought in by boat. The winter cold adds to health risks, and some people may still have not reached an evacuation centre, she added.

“We need to accurately assess the damage first. And then a proper response can come, and what’s needed can reach the right places,” Izumi said.

Sports

I bowled in one area which I didn’t in Centurion: Siraj

admin Jan 3, 2024 0

But he was visibly happy after having one of his best days in his 23 Test career.

Published Date – 10:58 PM, Wed – 3 January 24

I bowled in one area which I didn’t in Centurion: Siraj

Cape Town: Mohammed Siraj is delighted to have started the 2024 with career-best figures in Test cricket but after day one of the second Test, the India pacer was more pleased about rectifying the mistakes he committed during the series opener against South Africa.

Siraj had figures of 2/91 in South Africa’s only innings in the opening Test but returned with six for 15 from nine overs to bundle out the hosts for 55 in first innings as 23 wickets fell on day one.

Did he think he will come out to bowl twice in a day? “Did you think so?” he chuckled with a counter question. “We didn’t think also. We had put our feet up but this is cricket. You see both good and bad things,” he added philosophically.

But he was visibly happy after having one of his best days in his 23 Test career. “You want the New Year to go well,” the affable Hyderabadi said with satisfaction written all over his face.

“I realised what I missed in the last game and wanted to compensate and I executed my plans accordingly. I wanted to hit one area consistently and I did that and got reward for it. Wicket looks quite similar to Centurion,” Siraj said at the end of the day’s play.

So what did he do different that he didn’t in the last game? “We (him and Jasprit Bumrah) bowled in partnerships and bowled many maidens unlike last Test match. Bowling so many maidens did create pressure.”

When one gets a track as spicy as Newlands, a fast bowler’s excited mind can get cluttered and that’s what one needs to control, feels Siraj.

“On these wickets, where ball is doing so much, often bowlers tend to think, ‘let me try and bowl an outswinger darting from leg to off or get one to bend back from angle but one should just stick to one line. “If you hit areas, wickets will come automatically, if you try many things, you yourself can get confused,” he observed.

He thanked Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul for constant communication. “When senior bowler is operating and there is wicketkeeper who advises you on what is the correct length, job becomes easier as there is lot of communication. When you are hit for 4-5 boundaries, you know what length to switch to.”

So what’s an ideal score that can be chased? “I can’t predict what will happen on second day. We have to get them out for as less as possible and we don’t need to think too far as we are still 40 runs ahead and we have to see how many we can get before they take lead,” he signed off.