The southwestern Japanese prefecture of Kumamoto on Wednesday marked the ninth anniversary of a deadly earthquake, the more intensive of a pair of quakes that hit the region, with over 270 victims remembered by families and others.
People in the Aso area, one of the hardest-hit places in the prefecture, prayed for the deceased at 1:25 a.m., when a magnitude 7.3 quake rattled the region nine years ago, two days after a M6.5 temblor.
In Kumamoto and neighboring Oita Prefecture, a total of 278 people died and about 43,000 buildings were damaged, while some 196,000 people were forced to evacuate.
Shinobu Yamato, the mother of a 22-year-old university student who was killed in a massive quake-triggered landslide in the Aso area, expressed her deep sadness for losing her son who was driving near a 200-meter-long bridge that collapsed.
Hikaru’s parents never gave up looking for him and his body was finally recovered in August 2016 long after authorities ended their search efforts.
“Even though I tell myself to move forward, it is not easy to get over,” Yamato, 57, said, while adding that she finds solace by thinking that her husband, who died in September last year, is now “staying by Hikaru.”
A new bridge was built about 600 meters away from the collapsed Aso Ohashi Bridge in the village of Minamiaso in 2021. The ruins of the destroyed bridge have been preserved to keep memories alive.
In the city of Kumamoto, where 90 people died, local government officials observed a moment of silence at 10 a.m. at the municipal office.
Mayor Kazufumi Onishi welcomed the efforts over the past nine years to “update” the city such as by rebuilding hospitals and upkeeping evacuation centers, but he called on the public to remain alert for any possible disasters.
“Quakes are still continuing. We should not let our guard down,” he said.
On the ninth anniversary Monday of the initial quake in Kumamoto Prefecture, the mayor and officials of Mashiki, where 45 people lost their lives, laid flowers and observed a moment of silence.
In Kumamoto, 220 people died due to indirect causes such as illness, more than four times the number of direct fatalities.
The two earthquakes, measuring the highest reading of 7 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale twice, also caused severe damage to Kumamoto Castle, including its famous stone walls. Repair work to the castle, a popular tourist spot, is expected to be completed in fiscal 2052.
© KYODO
© Japan Today