Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday confirmed that 13 people have died following the earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan a day earlier.
Speaking to reporters at the prime minister’s office, Takaichi said that by 8:30am local time, authorities had confirmed 13 fatalities, including deaths that were still being examined to determine whether they were linked to the magnitude 7.1 earthquake, reports Xinhua.
She said the quake had inflicted widespread destruction, leaving casualties, collapsed buildings, fires and damaged roads across the affected areas.
“There are still people waiting to be rescued, and we are racing against time,” she said.
Takaichi also said the government’s emergency disaster response headquarters, which she chairs, would hold its second meeting at 1:30pm on Wednesday to review the latest developments and speed up relief and recovery efforts.
The magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture at 4:27pm on Tuesday, causing widespread devastation. Rescue teams continued searching for survivors as officials dealt with reports of deaths, missing people, collapsed structures, power outages and transport disruptions.
