MINAMIASO: Eleven people remained missing today in southern Japan from two powerful earthquakes that killed 41 people, as the US military announced it was preparing to join relief efforts and Toyota said it would suspend vehicle assembly in Japan over the course of next week because of quake-related parts shortages.
Thousands of rescue workers fanned out in often mountainous terrain to search for the missing. Rescue helicopters could be seen going into and out of the area, much of which has been cut off by landslides and road and bridge damage.
With 180,000 people seeking shelter, some evacuees said that food distribution was a meager two rice balls for dinner. US Forces, Japan said it is getting ready to provide aerial support for Japan’s relief efforts.
The US has major Air Force, Navy and Marine bases in Japan, and stations about 50,000 troops in the country. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, “We are extremely grateful, and we would like to coordinate quickly and have the emergency relief be transported in as soon as possible.”
Shiori Yatabe, an official at the Kumamoto prefecture crisis management department, said 11 people were missing. She didn’t have a breakdown, but Japanese media reported that eight were in Minamiaso village.
Minamiaso is in a mountainous area southwest of 1,592-meter-high Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan. Aerial footage from Japanese TV showed teams of rescuers going through small clusters of destroyed buildings.
Earthquakes on successive nights struck Kumamoto city and the surrounding region late last week. Nine people died in the first earthquake, and 32 in the second. Kumamoto, a city of 740,000, is on the southwestern island of Kyushu.(Agencies)
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