SUZU, Japan — Rescue workers and canine units urgently sifted through rubble Wednesday ahead of predicted freezing cold and heavy rain in what the prime minister called a race against time after powerful earthquakes in western Japan killed 62 people. Dozens are believed trapped under collapsed buildings. Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas were rattled by … Read more
NANAO, Japan — A series of powerful earthquakes hit western Japan, leaving at least four people dead and damaging buildings, vehicles and boats, with officials warning people in some areas on Tuesday to stay away from their homes because of a risk of more strong quakes. Aftershocks continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas … Read more
TOKYO — Japan issued tsunami alerts Monday after a series of strong quakes in the Sea of Japan. The Japan Meterological Agency reported quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m., one of them with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6. It issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level … Read more
JAKARTA, Indonesia — A powerful earthquake shook Indonesia’s easternmost region of Papua early Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.5 quake was centered 162 kilometers (101 miles) northeast of Abepura, a subdistrict in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province. It happened at … Read more
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — A strong and shallow undersea earthquake shook part of Indonesia’s Aceh province Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 5.9 earthquake was centered 362 kilometers (225 miles) east of Sinabang, a coastal town in Aceh province at a depth … Read more
BEIJING — The death toll from China’s most powerful earthquake in years has risen to 149, with two people still missing after the tremor hit northwestern parts of the country last week. The 6.2-magnitude quake struck a remote mountainous area between Gansu and Qinghai provinces on Dec. 18, reducing homes to rubble and triggering heavy … Read more
BEIJING — The strong earthquake that hit northwest China this week, killing at least 148 people, caused economic losses estimated to be worth tens of millions in the agricultural and fisheries industries, state media said Saturday. Officials in Gansu conducted preliminary assessments that showed the province’s agricultural and fisheries industries have lost 532 million yuan … Read more
BEIJING — Hundreds of temporary one-room housing units were set up Thursday in northwest China for survivors of an earthquake that destroyed more than 14,000 homes and killed at least 144 people, according to state media reports. The death toll rose by nine as search teams dug through heavy mudslides that had inundated two villages, … Read more
YANGWA, China — Surrounded by destruction, survivors of an earthquake mourned the dead and endured a frigid cold in temporary shelters Wednesday, unsure how to rebuild their lives in the remote mountains of northwest China. “Look at this,” said Han Zhongmin, retrieving some belongings with his wife from the ruins of their house, built six … Read more
KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.N. refugee agency has warned that Afghans could die in harsh winter conditions if they don’t get adequate shelter once they cross the border from Pakistan. Almost half a million Afghans have left Pakistan since early October, when the Islamabad government announced it would arrest and deport foreigners it said were … Read more