Suzuki City, Japan – A remarkable rescue operation took place in Ishikawa prefecture, Japan, as an elderly woman in her 90s was pulled from the wreckage of a two-story house more than five days after a powerful earthquake shook the country. The woman was found in Suzu City on Saturday evening, 124 hours after the earthquake struck, and was immediately transported to a nearby hospital, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK. Despite her ordeal, the woman is reported to be able to engage in conversations, although she has sustained injuries to her legs.
Members of the emergency rescue team described the challenging task of locating and freeing the woman. Kume Takanori, one of the team members, revealed that her knees had become trapped under furniture in a narrow space between the first and second floor. It took hours to extract her from the rubble.
The earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.5, struck central Japan on January 1, triggering tsunami alerts as far as eastern Russia. Thousands of residents in coastal areas were forced to evacuate their homes as an array of buildings and roads collapsed, while numerous structures were consumed by fires. Tragically, the death toll from this disaster has reached at least 126, according to Japanese authorities’ latest figures released on Saturday.
During search and rescue missions in the aftermath of natural disasters, the first 72 hours are considered crucial. Experts refer to this time frame as the “golden period” for finding survivors, as the conditions of those trapped and injured can rapidly deteriorate beyond this window. Teams on the ground have been working tirelessly to save individuals trapped under rubble, as the full extent of the damage remains unknown. Over 200 people are still unaccounted for, and search and rescue operations persist in Ishikawa. However, many roads are still blocked, posing challenges for emergency responders and hindering their attempts to reach survivors.
To address this issue, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced traffic restrictions in the earthquake zone, which will take effect from Sunday. These measures aim to facilitate the passage of vehicles involved in disaster recovery by prohibiting traffic from entering the affected areas.
In conclusion, a woman in her 90s was miraculously rescued from the debris of a collapsed house in Suzu City, Japan, more than five days after a devastating earthquake struck the region. With the death toll at least 126, and over 200 people still missing, search and rescue efforts continue in Ishikawa prefecture. The rescue of the elderly woman serves as a glimmer of hope in the face of this tragedy, underlining the importance of the first 72 hours in locating survivors.