Woman in her 90s rescued 124 Hours after Japan quake

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
7 Jan 2024 09:53

Despite the grim aftermath of a magnitude-7.5 earthquake and its aftershocks, a glimmer of hope emerged as a resilient woman in her 90s was rescued after spending five days trapped under the rubble in central Japan.

This aerial photo shows damaged and destroyed homes along a street in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, after a huge earthquake struck the prefecture's Noto region. (AFP)

A woman in her 90s, trapped under debris for five days following a significant earthquake in central Japan, was rescued against considerable odds.

The earthquake, measuring magnitude 7.5 on New Year's Day, and its subsequent aftershocks resulted in a death toll of at least 126 people, a number expected to increase as 222 others were reported missing to local authorities.

The big picture

The earthquake and its aftershocks caused buildings to collapse, ignited a significant fire, and generated tsunami waves exceeding one meter. Typically, the chances of finding survivors diminish after three days of a devastating quake. However, the elderly woman endured five days beneath the debris of a collapsed house in Suzu City before her rescue on Saturday.

She was transported to the hospital for medical attention and was responding coherently to inquiries, as reported by the public broadcaster NHK.

"Hang in there!" could be heard from rescuers in police footage at the location, as shown in the footage released by local media.

It is worth noting that numerous communities on the Noto Peninsula, where the quake occurred last Monday, are isolated due to damaged roads, with about 1,000 landslides hindering aid vehicles. Cold rain was predicted to change to snow by Sunday afternoon on the Sea of Japan side of Honshu, the country's main island.