OJIYA, Japan – A series of powerful earthquakes and aftershocks rattled northern Japan Saturday, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 900 as buildings crumbled, a bullet train derailed and roadways were torn apart.
At least four people were missing Saturday night. Throughout the region, electric, gas and telephone services were knocked out and water and sewage mains burst.
The quakes – the most powerful recorded as magnitude-6.8 – were spread over several hours and centered on Ojiya, about 160 miles northwest of Tokyo. Still, buildings swayed in the Japanese capital.
“I’ve never felt anything like it before,” said Yoichi Kato, the owner of a 7-11 store in Kashiwazaki, about 12 miles west of the epicenter. “It was so strong, I was too surprised to be scared.”
The quake knocked bottles and food off the convenience store’s shelves, but otherwise caused his shop limited damage, Kato said.
The first quake hit at 5:56 p.m. and was centered about 12 miles beneath the surface, the Meteorological Agency said. At least six more tremors hit over the following hours, including quakes of magnitude 6.2 and 5.9, the agency said.
The second floor of a Jusco nationwide supermarket chain store was smashed.
“There were 300 customers inside when the earthquake hit, and everyone tried to grab something nearby to keep from being knocked off their feet,” said Reiko Takahashi, the store’s manager as she stood guard to prevent looting or possible injuries. “Several people were hurt by glass shards and falling debris.”
Elsewhere, sewage and water mains burst, gas and telephone services were down, and about 280,000 homes lost power, officials told Japanese media.
Teams were dispatched to assess damage and aid residents but darkness and buckled roads hampered their efforts, officials said. Eleven military helicopters fanned out to check the damage and help with rescue operations, the agency said.
Associated Press
Patients gather in the waiting lounge of a Nagaoka general hospital after they evacuated their homes following powerful earthquakes in northwestern Japan on Saturday.
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