Snow Hinders Rescues And Aid To Isolated Communities After Deadly Japan Quakes

Days after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed at least 128 people in western Japan, rescue teams are trying to beat expected heavy snowfall to deliver aid.

WAJIMA, Japan (AP) — Rescue teams worked through snow to deliver supplies to isolated hamlets, six days after a powerful earthquake hit western Japan, killing at least 128 people. Heavy snowfall expected in Ishikawa Prefecture later Sunday and through the night added to the urgency.

After Monday’s 7.6 magnitude temblor, 195 people were still unaccounted for, a slight decrease from the more than 200 reported earlier, and 560 people were injured. Hundreds of aftershocks have followed, rattling Noto Peninsula, where the quakes are centered.

Taiyo Matsushita walked three hours through mud to reach a supermarket in Wajima city to buy food and other supplies for his family. The home where he lives with his wife and four children, and about 20 nearby homes, are among the more than a dozen communities cut off by landslides.

Power was out, and in a matter of hours, they couldn’t even use their cell phones, he told Jiji Press.

“We want everyone to know help isn’t coming to some places,” Matsushita was quoted as saying by Jiji Press. “We feel such an attachment to this community. But when I think about my children, it’s hard to imagine we can keep living here.”