Japan Earthquake Death Toll Climbs as Rescuers Race to Survivors Transcript

The Japanese government is stepping up the emergency response to Monday’s earthquake, which is now known to have killed 62 people. The Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida announced that the number of military personnel involved would be doubled to 2,000, but the emergency effort is being complicated by further aftershocks as well as heavy rain and the risk of landslides. Our correspondent, Jean Mackenzie is in the region, and has spent the day trying to reach the town of Wajima close to the epicenter.

This is a race for survival. Rescue workers stream through Japan’s isolated Noto Peninsula, the roads blocking their way. They’re trying to reach these worst affected areas in the north where people are trapped under their collapsed homes. Many families were out at temples celebrating New Year’s Day when Japan was hit by its strongest earthquake in 12 years. [inaudible 00:01:01] thought his shrine was going to collapse.

[foreign language 00:01:05].

“The whole gate was swaying. The alleyway was swaying too. The children had to squat on the floor so as not to fall over,” he told me. As we travel towards the epicenter, we’re alerted to another earthquake. These aftershocks keep coming. Further in, old wooden homes have been brought to the ground, not made to withstand the ferocity of Japan’s enduring quakes. [inaudible 00:01:42] lives here alone after losing his wife. At 82, he doesn’t know how he’ll manage the repairs.

[foreign language 00:01:50].

We always have earthquakes around here, but I just didn’t think we’d get big one like this. I didn’t take it seriously. I thought we were safe here.

This is only the tip of the destruction. We are trying to get closer to the epicenter to a city where we know that at least a dozen people have died, and many more are trapped in their homes have collapsed. But we are struggling because if you look at this road here, it is completely ruptured. And this is what we keep coming up against. These roads that are totally blocked off. And even these emergency services here, these rescue teams have been struggling to reach people in these worst affected areas. So we are still trying to piece together the extent of the damage and how many people have been killed and injured.

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Some firefighters have managed to get into the wrecked city of Wajima and are searching for survivors, but the death toll is expected to rise. The people here have lived through many an earthquake, but never felt tremors of this magnitude, which have shaken both their surroundings and their sense of safety.