This video captures the miraculous moment when a eight-month-old girl, who was buried under a heap of rubble, was pulled out alive. The strongest earthquake since the 2011 tsunami jolted Japan late on Thursday, bringing down buildings and trapping people under the debris. Rescue operations are still under way. Latest updates from NHK point to 9 dead and over 900 injured. An estimated 44,000 have been evacuated, with 44 critically injured, according to Asahi Shimbun. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the earthquake struck at 9:26 pm local time (12:26 p.m. GMT, 8:26 am EDT) and had a magnitude of 6.5. The epicenter was 7 miles underground, a relatively shallow quake. The US Geological Service put the magnitude at 6.2.
This tiny tot who was rushed to hospital for treatment, was found by the rescuers in Mashiki who were searching for trapped residents, pulling her out alive from the debris of a ruined house. The whereabouts of her family is still unknown.
5000 blankets from Japanese Red Cross kept people in evacuation centres warm last night after the #JapanEarthquake pic.twitter.com/BeumBnLCw4
— IFRC Asia Pacific (@IFRCAsiaPacific) April 15, 2016
Japanese Red Cross Kumamoto Hospital said it has admitted or treated 45 people, including five with serious injuries. More than 100 people were being treated for injuries at three hospitals in Kumamoto City, hospital officials said. And one person was reportedly injured in each of the neighboring prefectures of Saga and Miyazaki, police there said. People living in Kumamoto city, the nearest large city to the epicenter, reported significant shaking and said items fell off shelves. Witnesses said that the tremors continued for 20 to 30 seconds.
#JapanEarthquake: Death toll rises to 9, more than 250 injured https://t.co/qMDtYVMGv6 pic.twitter.com/yd0HPRWAcV
— The Daily Star (@dailystarnews) April 15, 2016