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進入《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Rescuers race to find people still missing in Japan
Residents yesterday walk past houses destroyed by earthquakes in Mashiki, Japan. Photo: AFP
/ AFP, MINAMI-ASO, Japan
HELPING HAND: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the US military, which has about 50,000 personnel stationed in Japan, has offered aerial transportation
Rescuers yesterday used shovels to dig through mountains of soil as they raced against the threat of more landslides to reach people still trapped by several big earthquakes in Japan.
At least 41 people are known to have died in the disaster and 11 are still missing, feared buried in shattered houses or under torrents of mud.
Heavy rain forecast for the area around Kumamoto did not materialize, offering some relief for officials, who cautioned more aftershocks might spark further mudslides.
Tens of thousands of people had spent the night in temporary accommodation, or huddled in makeshift shelters as the rescue effort stepped up a gear.
Up to 25,000 personnel fanned out through stricken villages, where scores of traditional-style houses were shattered by the quake, or buried in the earth and rock that cascaded down hillsides.
In badly hit Minami-Aso, dozens of rescuers worked with hand shovels in a delicate operation to reach at least one person, who has not been seen since a magnitude 7.3 quake struck in the early hours of Saturday.
Where four houses had once stood on a ridge, only three remained — the fourth washed away by a tide of earth that swept through the settlement.
More than 90,000 people have been evacuated, including 300 from an area near a dam thought to be at risk of collapse.
Isolated villages in mountainous areas were completely cut off by landslides and damage to roads.
Aerial footage showed a bridge on a main trunk road had crashed onto the carriageway below, its pillars felled by the huge seismic jolt.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said rescue efforts were to be augmented by the US military.
“Our defense minister informed me that the US military said aerial transportation is available. We are grateful for the offer,” he said.
The US has about 50,000 troops stationed in Japan.
Tilt-rotor Osprey aircraft were among those taking part in relief efforts, the US Marines said.
More than 400 earthquakes have rocked Kumamoto and other parts of central Kyushu, an area unaccustomed to the powerful quakes that regularly rattle other parts of Japan.
Thursday’s magnitude 6.5 quake affected older buildings and killed nine people, but Saturday’s brought newer structures crashing down.
Both quakes had very shallow epicenters and caused fierce shaking.
The damage looks set to affect industry, with car giant Toyota Motor Corp announcing a gradual suspension of assembly lines nationwide, citing problems with parts suppliers in the area. Honda Motor Co said its motorcycle plant in Kumamoto would also remain shut until Friday.
About 63,000 households were still without electricity yesterday afternoon.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
