Within twenty-two hours of the New Year's Day earthquake, an elderly woman was rescued from the debris of her collapsed house in Japan. NHK broadcasted footage of the woman being forcibly removed from her residence in the municipality of Wajima.
Rescuers are currently in a race against time to locate survivors, as a critical three-day window has passed.
Monday in remote Noto peninsula was struck by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake, which claimed the lives of at least 82 individuals.
Numerous individuals are believed to be ensnared beneath their collapsed dwellings, primarily in Suzu and Wajima.
Reportedly, the elderly woman had been confined to the ground floor of her residence ever since the seismic event occurred.
After 72 hours, the likelihood of discovering individuals alive significantly diminishes. This window is no longer open, as the Monday earthquake struck at 16:10 local time (07:10 GMT).
Tens of thousands of residents continue to be without water and electricity, and hundreds are cut off from assistance because of landslides and blocked roads.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan stated earlier on Thursday that rescuers would continue their full-scale efforts to save as many people as possible and that 150 people had been rescued thus far.
At least 330 people were injured in the Monday quake, which was followed by a succession of aftershocks, according to sources.
Some communities in the earthquake-devastated regions are still confined to shelters, while over 30,000 individuals are without access to electricity, water, or the internet.
In the interim, online, narratives detailing heroic rescues have been going viral. Several rescuers can be seen in a video published by Peace Winds Japan, a local NGO that assisted in the rescue operation, penetrating through layers of collapsed furniture in order to free a woman who was confined beneath her residence. They then encircled her in a dense blanket.
Although Japan implemented new earthquake protection regulations in 1981, a significant number of the wooden residences were constructed prior to their enforcement.
A subset of the Wajima's inhabitants, predominantly elderly, had neglected to complete the necessary renovations to their dwellings. 2018 statistics revealed that over fifty percent of the town's structures did not comply with the new regulations.
When tsunamis were predicted, the majority of the approximately 23,000 inhabitants of Wajima heeded the early warnings to evacuate, reducing the town to a deserted town.
Nonetheless, it has accumulated the highest number of fatalities, 48 confirmed, which accounts for over 50% of the overall number of casualties. As aid continues to be unable to reach people in some areas encircling the town due to damaged roads and landslides, this figure is anticipated to increase.
According to the mayor of Wajima, Shigeru Sakaguchi, only 2,000 out of the 10,000 evacuees from the town have thus far received food and other humanitarian supplies.
Nearly none of the dwellings in Suzu, a municipality with an approximate population of 13,000, are standing, as reported by the mayor. Approximately 90% have entirely or nearly entirely collapsed, according to Masuhiro Izumiya.
The town was impacted by a minor tsunami one minute after the magnitude 8 earthquake.
