The death toll from a New Year's Day earthquake in central Japan has risen to six, police confirmed Tuesday, January 2, a day after the 7.5-magnitude tremor triggered tsunami waves over a meter high.
A duty officer from Ishikawa Prefecture Police told AFP authorities were investigating the discovery of two more bodies, "one in Nanao city and one in Shika town" after four deaths were confirmed following the quake that struck off the main island of Honshu.
Television channels interrupted normal services with special programming, including a message from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who urged people in vulnerable areas to "evacuate as soon as possible" to higher ground. "We realize your home, your belongings are all precious to you, but your lives are important above everything else! Run to the highest ground possible," an alarmed presenter on broadcaster NHK told viewers.
Waves at least 1.2 meters high hit the port of Wajima, and a series of smaller tsunamis were reported elsewhere, including as far away as the northern island of Hokkaido.
Japan dropped its highest-level tsunami alert after issuing one but told residents of coastal areas not to return to their homes as deadly waves could still come.
At least six homes were damaged by the quakes, with people trapped inside, government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said. A fire broke out in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, and electricity was out for more than 30,000 households, he said.
Japanese media footage showed people running through the streets, and red smoke spewing from a fire in a residential neighborhood. Photos showed a crowd of people, including a woman with a baby on her back, standing by huge cracks that had ripped through the pavement.
Bullet trains in the area were halted, although some parts of the service were restored by evening. Parts of a highway were also closed, and water pipes had burst, according to NHK. Some cell phone services in the region weren't working.
The Meteorological Agency said in a nationally broadcast news conference that more major quakes could hit the area over the next week, especially in the next two or three days.
US President Joe Biden said in a statement that his administration was in touch with Japanese officials and “ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Japanese people.”
Japan is an extremely quake-prone nation, but a tsunami warning of the magnitude of Monday's had not been issued since a major quake and tsunami caused meltdowns at a nuclear plant in March 2011.