Aftershocks hamper aid for Japan quake victims

EMERGENCY workers struggled to rush food and blankets to evacuation centres as strong aftershocks jolted an earthquake-shattered swath of northern Japan yesterday, killing 25 people and driving 100,000 from their homes.

A 5.6 magnitude aftershock hit just after dawn, deepening fears the area’s shaky infrastructure would sustain more damage.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency warned of more quakes in the region. Rain also fell, threatening to unleash mudslides.

Officials said 98,000 people had sought refuge following Saturday’s 6.8 magnitude tremor, which knocked down houses, ripped up roads and bridges and derailed a high speed train in rural Niigata prefecture, about 160 miles northwest of Tokyo. Much of the region is without water, electricity or gas.

Officials struggled to bring food and blankets, needed to brave near-freezing night temperatures.

In Nagaoka, the largest city in the quake zone, homeless residents pitched tents in a park.

“The aftershocks are still strong, so we felt it was safer to stay here even though our house wasn’t all that badly damaged,” said Misako Tsubata, outside the tent where she was staying with her family.

The national government in Tokyo said it was shipping another 10,000 blankets to the area. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said he wanted to visit the zone “as soon as possible”.

“We will do our best so victims of the earthquake can live in safety as soon as possible,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said.

Saturday’s quake was the worst to hit Japan since 1995, when more than 6,000 people were killed by a 7.2 magnitude temblor in Kobe.

Some 389 aftershocks have been recorded since Saturday’s initial jolt. The death toll reached 25 yesterday. About 2,000 people were injured.

The National Police Agency counted 89 landslides and roads sliced in 1,330 places. There were 151 destroyed buildings and 2,607 partially damaged structures, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.