KUWAIT: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed Kuwait’s sympathy with the Japanese government and people over the earthquake that hit central Japan and caused damage in several regions. The ministry affirmed in a statement that Kuwaiti citizens in Japan “were safe” in the wake of the quake. However, it was noted that the Japanese authorities warned of possible tsunamis. It appealed to the Kuwaiti nationals in Japan to be as cautious as possible, abide by guidelines declared by the local authorities, and communicate with the Kuwait Embassy in Tokyo if the need arises. (The embassy is reachable on the emergency phone number: +819088849650, and the regular number: +80334550361).

Meanwhile, Japanese rescuers battled the clock and powerful aftershocks Tuesday to find survivors of a New Year’s Day earthquake that killed at least 48 people and caused widespread destruction. The 7.5-magnitude quake that rattled Ishikawa prefecture on the main island of Honshu triggered tsunami waves more than a meter high, caused a major fire, and tore apart roads.

On the Noto Peninsula, the destruction included buildings damaged by fire, flattened houses, fishing boats sunk or washed ashore, and highways hit by landslides. “I’m amazed the house is this broken and everyone in my family managed to come out of it unscathed,” said Akiko, standing outside her parents’ tilting home in the badly hit city of Wajima. The way 2024 started “will be etched into my memory forever,” she told AFP after what she called the “long and violent” earthquake on Monday. “It was such a powerful jolt,” Tsugumasa Mihara, 73, said as he queued with hundreds of others for water in the nearby town of Shika.

Local authorities put the death toll at 48, but the number was expected to rise as rescuers comb through the rubble. “Very extensive damage has been confirmed, including numerous casualties, building collapses, and fires,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after a disaster response meeting. “We have to race against time to search for and rescue victims of the disaster.” Aerial news footage showed the terrifying scale of a fire that ripped through the old market area of Wajima, where a seven-storey commercial building also collapsed. Quake damage impaired rescue efforts to put out the blaze. — Agencies