Wave of Earthquakes in Recent Days

The last days of 2023 and the first days of 2024 are marked by a series of earthquakes. A powerful earthquake that struck central Japan on Monday triggered evacuation warnings for areas on the west coast, claimed dozens of lives (the latest toll indicated 62 victims), destroyed several buildings, left thousands of homes without electricity, and disrupted travel in the region. The 7.6-magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami along coastal areas of the Sea of Japan. Heavy rain was forecasted for the affected earthquake areas yesterday, raising fears of landslides, according to authorities. Broken roads, damaged infrastructure, and the remote location of the most affected areas have hampered rescue efforts, and the total extent of damage and casualties remains unclear two days after the earthquake. Authorities have confirmed 62 deaths so far, up from 55 late Tuesday evening. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed his government to ensure that survivors have access to basic facilities, including electricity and water. "Please do everything in your power to save as many people as possible, while also considering that this is a battle against time," Kishida said during a disaster response meeting. He noted that survivors may not be able to return home for some time. Several strong earthquakes have been recorded in the area, where seismic activity has been intense for over three years. Earthquakes could continue to occur in the coming days, said JMA representative Toshihiro Shimoyama.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurred on Sunday in the Indonesian province of Papua, announced the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC), according to Reuters. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 39 km (24.23 miles), said the EMSC, which had previously assessed the earthquake at a magnitude of 6.2 and a depth of 46 km (28.58 miles). Another earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 occurred on Saturday in the ocean, in the northeast area of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, one of the most populous in the country, without authorities reporting any damage or casualties, EFE reports. Indonesia is located on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area with frequent seismic and volcanic activity that records approximately 7,000 earthquakes annually, most of them moderate. In December 2004, a powerful earthquake in northern Sumatra generated a tsunami that caused over 226,000 deaths in 12 countries bordering the Indian Ocean, as reported by EFE.

These earthquakes have been followed by hundreds of aftershocks.