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Two powerful earthquakes leave at least 44 dead and a thousand injured
The Salvation Army is providing support in Kumamoto, a prefecture in the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, after a 6.2 and 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck the country.
The initial quake on April 14 was followed by an even stronger one two days later. At least 44 people have lost their lives and 1,000 are injured. More than 20 homes were destroyed in the town of Mashiki, close to the epicenter of the quake, and roads have been damaged and electricity and gas supplies interrupted.
Salvation Army emergency canteen deployed from Tokyo to Kumamoto are providing hot meals to people evacuated from their homes. Around 100,000 are living in emergency accommodation, including some sleeping in their cars. The overnight temperature in Kumamoto is around 7°C.
The red kettles, which are traditionally deployed to collect donations in the Christmas season, have been set up on street corners in Tokyo and other cities across Japan to enable people to support the emergency appeal.
Donations can also be made online to the South Pacific and East Asia Disaster Fund here.
Report by IHQ Communications
International Headquarters
