Aftershocks hit Japan, a day after a strong earthquake killed at least one person, while officials continued Saturday to assess the damage caused by the destruction of a number of buildings.
On Friday, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit the center of Ishikawa at a depth of 12 kilometers, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
More than 50 aftershocks occurred on Saturday morning, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, which warned that heavy rains could trigger landslides in the area.
And the Japanese Disaster Management Agency reported Saturday that there were at least 29 injured.
“Our staff are inspecting the damage caused by the quake,” an official from Suzu, the worst-hit city in Ishikawa prefecture, told AFP.
He added that two people trapped inside two destroyed buildings were rescued, while about 50 people were transferred to evacuation centers set up in schools and the municipality building.
Television images showed a grocery store full of produce that had fallen off shelves.
Some residents were seen clearing rubble in the rain after their wooden houses were partially destroyed.
Officials said Saturday that more than 30 families in Suzhou have been affected by the water cuts, noting that the city provided temporary public supplies after the running water turned brown in parts of the area.
The magnitude of the quake was 6 on the Japanese Shindo scale of 7.
Japan is constantly exposed to earthquakes due to its location in the “Ring of Fire” in the Pacific Ocean, which is experiencing high seismic activity. This region extends from Southeast Asia to the Pacific basin.