HEAVY DAMAGE AND LOSS OF LIFE OVER WIDE AREA

Chronicle (Levin), 23 December 1946, Page 5

HEAVY DAMAGE AND LOSS OF LIFE OVER WIDE AREA

Press Assn

By Telegrapji

•..-Copyrig.lt

Ileceivod Sunday, 7.0 p.m. TOKIO, Dee. 21. Heavy da mage and considerable loss of life were caused over a wide area oi' Southern Japan by an earth(iuake and tidal wave early this niorning'. The Japanese Heteorological Office says the daniaged area is roughly 150 miles long and 50 to 60 miles wide, stretching along the southern side of the Wakayama Brefecture on Iionshu and the northern and eastern seetions of Shikoku. The earthquake lasted i'rom 42 seconds in some areas to two minutes in others and occurred at 4.00 a.m. The tidal wave liit the affeeted area about ten minutes later. The Kyodo Xews Ageney reports that Koehi, Kainan, Yura and Wakayama were Ihe biggest. eentres struck by the wave whieh penetrated as l'ar as five miles inland. American Army reports state that the tidal wave wiped out 200 I'amilies on the eastern shores oi' Shikoku. Ninety were killed and 126 seriously injured; 280 homes were destroyed and 461 damaged by the wave. At Takoha, ten miles southwest of Kochi, the Army estimates that 1000 homes are under water. Jn the Kochi area it is diffieult to determine whetlier the wave or earth(juake did the most damage.

Thrcc hundred buildings at Kainauj were inundated. The- water reachedj ihe second fioor of some buildings atj Yura south of Kainan. The damage is. reported to be severe around Osaka where at least 14 were killed and 100 homes demolished. The water was three feet deep in ]>arts of Osaka. Reports received by the United Btates Army indicate that' the Iionshu damage was centred ou llyogo, Osaka aiulj ihe Wakayama prel'ei-tui e. The Kyodo j News Ageney. reports that several thousaml homes in Kiski and Chitgoku,] botli south of Osaka and on Shikoku, collapsed. Thousands were killed, injure(l or tlrowued. In lliroshiina, whieh is beginning to arise anew from the atoiu bomb rubble, the eartlupiake demolished 25 houses and daniaged 730 newly-built homes. There was 110 serious damage in Pukio where thousands swarmed into the streets fearing a repetition of the 1923 disaster. Some Americaiis ruslied out in tlie freezing vceather, several in their night clothes. The iinderwater earthquake — possibly the world 's heaviest — and the tidal wave it erupted wreaked death and destruction over 15,000 square miles of Southern Japan, according to later messages. The damage so far reported included 45,000 homes destroyed, 9044 homes heavily daniaged, j.400 dwellings tiooded and 500 nsning. vesseis destroyed. Kushimoto, a hshing town on the southern tip of the Wakayama peninsula, is reported to have been washed away by seven-foot waves. Great cracks were ripped in the earth and hoqips werp topplqd on sleeping famiiies. Raiiways and communications were aislocated and numerous conunimities are isolated. Fi ro. destroyed one-third of Shigu on Ihe east coast of JLonshu. ' United States Armv fhers said the tlames were still visible this atternoon. The British and American ocuipution forces presumably escaped with onlv oue casnalty — one uuidenti lied British soldier missing fi'om Vliho — although ihe British were in the eeutre of the devastated area. Tlie British Heatl(piarters at Ku ro, 170 miles west of Usaka, were daniaged. The United Press says the centre oi ihe disturbauce was '52 miles oll' the .lapanese coast. Fiftv thousand square miles i)l' the coast and hinterland were violently siiaken by tlie earthquake or inundated by tidal waves. At lei.it 50 r.ities and villages suffered destruction or damage. Eighteen iesser eartli(piakes followed tlie lirst biow at halfliourly intervals. The occupation authorities are cooperaling with tlie Governmeiit and the .lapanese Red Cross is .ipeeding aid to tlie devastated areas.