“Rescuers are scrambling to save the trapped victims of a devastating 7.6-magnitude earthquake that hit central Japan today, as others ran for higher ground amid warnings of a tsunami.

A total of 21 quakes above 4.0 magnitude rang out shortly after 4pm local time (7am UK time), with Wajima City's Fire Department in Ishikawa reporting it had received more than 30 reports of collapsed buildings, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.

Videos shared on social media and broadcast on Japanese TV showed how structures had crumbled in Suzu, a city close to the epicentre of the largest quake, with thick cracks appearing in roads.

The tremors triggered a huge fire in Wajima, with shocking footage showing massive flames engulfing residential buildings according to local broadcasters. …”

DailyMail article:
https://mol.im/a/12915907

Damn...helluva way to start the year.

Is the ring of fire rolling yet?

I wonder if they have any nuke plants around there.

Powerful aftershocks
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/ea...t=80.53207,534.02344

quote:

Originally posted by Expert308:
I wonder if they have any nuke plants around there.

OP's article said this about nuclear power plants

quote:

Fears are mounting that Japan's coastal nuclear power plants could be affected in the wake of the quake.

But operators have confirmed that no issues have been detected yet.

'It has been confirmed that there are no abnormalities at Shika nuclear power plant (in Ishikawa) and other stations as of now,' government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said. 'Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately,' he added.

Hokuriku Electric Power, Tokyo Electric Power Co, and Kansai Electric Power operate several nuclear power plants along the coastline that could be struck by tsunamis.

Some of the videos coming out are wild. Especially the one taken from inside a parking structure.

Not a great time for a selfie...

quote:

Originally posted by goose5:
Some of the videos coming out are wild. Especially the one taken from inside a parking structure.

We're not even a full day in, and the year has already gone Biblical.

Watching concrete structures like those parking garages flex like that gives me a serious case of the heebie-jeebies; there’s no WAY I wouldn’t be out on the street as fast as I could get there.

Five crew on coast guard aircraft set to help quake victims are killed in collision

“Five people aboard a coastguard aircraft were killed when their plane collided with a Japan Airlines passenger jet coming in to land at Tokyo's Haneda International Airport, with only one crewmember managing to escape with severe injuries.

Coastguard flight MA-722 aircraft, a Bombardier Dash-8, was struck by JAL flight 516 - a much larger Airbus A-350 - on runway C at Haneda, with both planes immediately erupting into flames.

Shocking footage showed the Japan Airlines jet engulfed in a raging inferno as it sat on the runway with gouts of flame seen pouring out of the passenger windows.

One horrific clip showed the flames licking from the airliner's main cabin door as twisted bits of metal fell from the fuselage onto the tarmac, while another showed passengers sprinting along the runway to escape the blaze, running away from the engines which were spitting out chunks of flaming debris.
……
Miraculously, all 379 passengers and crew aboard the Japan Airlines flight were successfully evacuated from the stricken plane, a JAL spokesman said, but most of the crew in the much smaller Bombardier did not survive the crash.

The Jiji news agency reported the coastguard plane was set to leave to help with rescue efforts following a massive earthquake in central Japan on New Year's Day, with the five deaths of the crewmembers further compounding the tragedy. …”

Terrifying photos in this DailyMail article:
https://mol.im/a/12918841

No gear down on that Air Bus so belly landing. All a terrible beginning for the New Year in Japan.

quote:

Originally posted by David Lee:
No gear down on that Air Bus so belly landing.

The collision happened on the ground after the Airbus had landed, so the landing gear would have been down and locked no later than 1,000' MSL on the approach to meet the definition of a "Stabilized Approach". So I have to respectfully disagree with regard to your statement that the landing gear wasn't down. It was down when they touched down on the runway and before colliding with the Dash-8 aircraft.

I would have to say the landing gear collapsed upon impact with the Dash-8 and/or is lower than normal because the tires burned up and melted away. So the fuselage might just be sitting on the gear struts or shredded hubs, making it appear the gear isn't down. I have seen a picture where you can visually see the right main landing gear strut in the down position. Certainly the nose gear has fully collapsed.

Here you can see the left main landing gear strut in the down position:



Another angle:

quote:

Originally posted by David Lee:
All a terrible beginning for the New Year in Japan.

I absolutely concur with your statement that Japan has had a rough start to 2024.

Kudos to the crew who were able to get nearly 400 people off the plain before it became engulfed. It certainly helps that the plane was nearly entacted.

Has anyone reported how many of the emergency chutes were deployed?

^^^^^^
Member kkina reported:
“Even more amazing is how only 3 of the 8 total slides were deployed.”

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
^^^^^^
Member kkina reported:
“Even more amazing is how only 3 of the 8 total slides were deployed.”

Think about this……for FAA Certification, a Transport Category aircraft must demonstrate that ALL occupants, i.e., every seat has a butt in it, can evacuate the aircraft in 90 seconds utilizing only HALF its available slides. The A350-900 has 8 slides…these people were “shorted one slide” and all STILL survived. Was every seat occupied? I honestly don’t know.

^That plane is spec'd for "300-350" passengers. Number of evacuees was 367 (plus 12 crewmembers).