Japan rang in the New Year with a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that killed at least four people and caused massive property damage.
“The quake struck at 4:10 p.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) in the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa prefecture, according to the United States Geological Survey,” noted CNN.
“The quake collapsed buildings, cased [sic] fires and triggered tsunami alerts as far away as eastern Russia, prompting orders for residents to evacuate affected coastal areas of Japan,” it added.
At least 31 smaller aftershocks continued through the day, which will likely continue for days and months to follow. One particularly harrowing story involved 1,400 passengers stranded inside high-speed bullet trains roughly ten hours after the main earthquake.
An estimated 8,500 military personnel have been deployed to aid in the relief effort. President Joe Biden has already said that the United States “stands ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Japanese people.”
Photos and videos of the aftermath have gone viral on social media:
A powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Japan’s west coast near Ishikawa, causing dozens of building to collapse. A tsunami warning has been issued, urging coastal residents in the region to evacuate. pic.twitter.com/xY1la5ikva
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 1, 2024
Scary visuals, The 7.6 Earthquake in Western Japan today made the entire river/waterway jump out of its basin like it’s a amusement swimming pool wave!
Tsunami warning across western Japan coast! #japan #tsunami pic.twitter.com/GTEpBbLcDn
— Vishal Verma (@VishalVerma_9) January 1, 2024
WATCH: People in panic and extremely horrified after massive shakings due to strong earthquake in Japan on first day of new year 2024. pic.twitter.com/SdnczqGvez
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) January 1, 2024
Here is another video of the damage inflicted by today’s earthquake in Japan. The uploader labeled it as a video of Kanazawa: pic.twitter.com/beCcqJiuHH
— Jeffrey J. Hall 🇵🇺🇸 (@mrjeffu) January 1, 2024
#JAPAN has been hit by a massive 7.6 #EARTHQUAKE!
Orders to evacuate have been issued, along with tsunami warnings.
I hope everybody is safe🙏 pic.twitter.com/hZrLPk5a3Y
— Tansu Yegen (@TansuYegen) January 1, 2024
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
