TOKYO: More than 5,400 people died in Japan over the past 30 years due to severe stress and exhaustion caused by evacuation following earthquakes and other natural disasters, Kyodo News reported.
At least 5,456 “disaster-related deaths” have been recognised since local governments began such designation following the Great Hanshin Earthquake in western Japan on Jan 17, 1995, with the figure including deaths linked to the Noto Peninsula quake last year.
The government has been calling for the improvement of conditions in evacuation shelters, with many evacuees crowded in gymnasiums and sleeping on the floor.
In a pair of massive earthquakes in Kumamoto Prefecture in 2016 and the Noto Peninsula quake, the number of disaster-related deaths exceeded those caused directly, such as by the collapse of buildings.
The actual number of disaster-related deaths is believed to be higher than registered, as families are required to apply for the designation.
Following the Great Hanshin Earthquake, 921 deaths were classified as disaster-related after an outbreak of infectious diseases including influenza in evacuation centres.
In the aftermath of the 2004 earthquake that hit Niigata Prefecture, some people who slept in their cars were found to have died of venous thrombosis, also known as economy class syndrome, when blood clots form due to prolonged immobility.
After the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in north eastern Japan and subsequent meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, 3,802 disaster-related deaths were reported as many people were forced to move from one evacuation site to another, it reported.
The number of disaster-related deaths linked to the Noto Peninsula quake on New Year’s Day in 2024 totalled 276 as of Jan 6, exceeding the 228 direct fatalities, while the Ishikawa prefectural government has received over 200 applications for the designation.
Among the factors cited as causing such deaths in the region, in which many elderly people reside, are prolonged stays in evacuation shelters, disruptions to electricity and water supplies as well as a deterioration in care provided by welfare and medical facilities.
Disaster-related deaths were also reported after typhoons and floods, with 12 individuals designated as having died due to heatstroke and other causes following a strong typhoon that struck Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo in 2019, triggering blackouts that prevented the use of air conditioning. – BERNAMA
