Thousands evacuate Japan quake zone amid fears of landslides

JAPAN: Thousands of quake victims crowded evacuation centers Tuesday amid fears of mudslides and aftershocks after a powerful temblor struck Japan’s northwest coast, killing at least nine people. One person was missing.

The Monday morning quake off the coast of Niigata state toppled hundreds of buildings, cut transportation and triggered a fire at a nuclear power plant and a radioactive water leak.

Refugees packed school gymnasiums and community centers, camped out on traditional Japanese Thunderstorms and flooding were expected Tuesday throughout the quake zone, increasing the likelihood that the quake-softened, water-logged ground would give way on hillsides and cause even more damage, officials said.

Up to 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) of rain was expected by Wednesday morning in Kashiwazaki, just south of the epicenter, according to the local observatory.

“The damage is more than we had imagined,” Kashiwazaki Mayor Hiroshi Aida said while inspecting damaged areas of his town. “We want to restore the water supply as soon as possible so more people can return home.”

Nearly 13,000 people packed into evacuation centers such as schools and other secure buildings in the quake zone 260 kilometers (160 miles) northwest of Tokyo, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.

Nine people in their 70s or 80s - six women and three men - were killed in the quake, and 19 were seriously injured. More than 1,000 people suffered lighter injuries and one person was still missing, officials said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said officials were still assessing the damage. “The most important thing is to take necessary measures quickly and respond to the needs of the victims,” he said.

The quake triggered a fire and a leak of water containing radioactive material at the Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant, the world’s largest in terms of power output capacity. The leak was not announced until many hours after the quake.

About 1.2 cubic meters - or 1,200 liters - of water apparently spilled from a tank at one of the plant’s seven reactors, and entered a pipe that flushed it into the sea, said Tokyo Electric Power Co. official Jun Oshima. Officials said there was no “significant change” in the sea water near the plant.

In Kashiwazaki city, the quake reduced older buildings to piles of lumber. On Tuesday morning, officials said a total of 342 houses had been destroyed while another 469 had been damaged.

The area was plagued by a series of aftershocks, though there were no immediate reports of additional damage or injuries from the aftershocks.

Near midnight Monday, a 6.6-magnitude quake hit off Japan’s west coast, shaking wide areas of the country. But it was unrelated to the Niigata quakes and there were no immediate reports of new damage.

The water leak and fire at the Kashiwazaki Kariwa reactors renewed doubts about the safety of Japan’s nuclear power plants, which have suffered a long string of accidents and cover-ups amid deep concerns they are dangerously vulnerable in the earthquake-prone nation. Fifty-five reactors supply about 30 percent of Japan’s electricity

The first word of trouble was a fire that broke out at an electrical transformer at the plant Monday morning. All the reactors were either already shut down or automatically switched off by the quake.

The blaze was quelled by early afternoon and TEPCO said there was no damage to the reactor and no release of radioactivity.

But in the evening, the company released a statement on the water leak, explaining it had taken all day to confirm the details of the accident.

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Akira Amari told TEPCO on Tuesday it must not resume operations at the plant until it has made a thorough safety check. Amari also issued requests to plant operators nationwide to confirm the safety of their facilities.

The quake, which hit the region at 10:13 a.m. (0113GMT) was centered off the coast of Niigata, 260 kilometers (160 miles) northwest of Tokyo. The tremor made buildings in the capital sway and was also felt in northern and central Japan. Tsunami warnings were issued, but the resulting waves were too small to cause damage.

Some 53,000 homes in the quake zone were without water and 35,000 were without gas as of early Tuesday, local official Mitsugu Abe said.

More than 25,000 households were without power.

Kashiwazaki, Tuesday, AP