Quake-hit Ishikawa braces for more aftershocks and rain

• A collapsed house is seen in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Saturday morning after a powerful earthquake hit the area a day earlier. | KYODO

• KYODO, AFP-JIJI

• SHAREMay 6, 2023

Ishikawa Prefecture on Saturday remained on high alert for aftershocks and rain after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 hit the region the previous day, leaving one dead and more than 20 injured.

The Meteorological Agency has warned of strong aftershocks following the initial quake at 2:42 p.m. Friday, which registered a strong 6 on the shindo (intensity) scale of 7 in Suzu on the tip of the Noto Peninsula about 110 kilometers northeast of the city of Kanazawa.

The agency warned the aftershocks could be as powerful as the strong 6 level for about a week in the area. The agency defines a strong 6 and 7 as “impossible to remain standing or move without crawling” and “people may be thrown through the air.”

The initial quake was the biggest in a series that have hit the Noto area since December 2020, with more than 50 aftershocks already occurring in the area by 8 a.m., including a M5.9 temblor on Friday evening.

The city of Suzu began surveying the extent of damage caused by the quakes after receiving reports of collapsed buildings and landslides.

Heavy rainfall is forecast for the prefecture over the weekend, which could raise the risk of landslides in areas where the ground has been loosened by the quakes.

The weather agency said the prefecture could see rainfall of up to 30 millimeters per hour from Saturday evening to early Sunday, with up to 120 mm forecast for the Noto area over the 24 hours through 6 a.m. Sunday.

A 65-year-o