We sympathize, as we stand in solidarity, with survivors of the Monday major earthquake that hit Japan which, like the Philippines, lies on the volatile Pacific Ring of Fire.
In Japan, natural disasters occur frequently since the archipelago is along the nearly 40,000-km Ring of Fire, an area where meet several tectonic plates – the most active earthquake tectonic belt – which makes it vulnerable to natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.
The Philippines, being in the Pacific Ring of Fire – also referred to as the Circum-Pacific Belt – makes it vulnerable to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Viewed from space, the Ring of Fire would appear as a strip that runs up the western coasts of South America and North America, continuing across the Alaskan Aleutian Islands to Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, then it heads south, off the coast of Eastern Asia, passing through Japan.
Like the Armed Forces of the Philippines, we recognize the severity of the situation and the chasing issuance of tsunami warnings, eventually lifted, as images on social media showed cars, houses and bridges in Ishikawa prefecture wobbling violently as terrified people cowered in shops and train stations.
Houses collapsed and huge cracks appeared in roads while others were hit by landslides.
The earthquake was centered around 30 kilometers east-northeast of Wajima with a provisional depth of 16 km, registering a maximum 7 on the country’s seismic intensity scale, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
A level-7 quake is described as making it impossible for people to remain standing. Such a temblor was last recorded in 2018 in Hokkaido, the weather agency said.
At least 48 people have been confirmed dead in the powerful earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula and surrounding areas in central Japan on New Year’s Day as more reports of damage came in and rescuers raced to find survivors on Tuesday.
The magnitude-7.6 quake caused extensive structural damage and fires in the city of Wajima in Ishikawa Prefecture, as continuing aftershocks and rubble on roads hampered rescue operations.
There have been at least 50 aftershocks in the region.
Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene Garcia-Albano said Filipino community leaders have contacted their members and reported there were no Filipino casualties thus far.
While we thank God there were no Filipino casualties, we raise our compassion for the survivors and families of the 48 victims of the major shock that caused widespread destruction.