ID :
167601
Sat, 03/12/2011 - 05:02
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/167601
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100 MALAYSIANS IN AREAS WORST-HIT BY JAPAN QUAKE SAFE
KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 (Bernama) -- About 100 Malaysians in the Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori prefectures worst hit by a massive earthquake which hit Japan Friday are safe, according to Deputy Chief of Mission at the Malaysian embassy in Tokyo, Ahmad Rozian Abdul Ghani.
"The embassy contacted the Malaysians and they are confirmed safe. We could not contact all Malaysians because some of them are back in Malaysia on holiday or in nearby prefectures due to semester breaks," he said when contacted by Bernama.
Of the 100 contacted, 67 are students - 43 of them in Miyagi, 18 in Iwate and six in Aomori, he said.
Ahmad Rozian said the Malaysians had been informed of the necessary measures to take during an emergency, such as going to evacuation centres.
A devastating 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck offshore northern Japan today and unleashed a 10-metre high tsunami which lashed the country.
Early reports said that at least 59 people were killed in the twin disasters but later reports by Kyodo News and Jiji Press Agency said around 200 to 300 bodies were found in Sendai.
A tsunami warning was also issued for all countries of the Pacific Basin except the United States and Canada.
Bernama editor-in chief Yong Soo Heong, who is in Tokyo for a Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro) assignment, reported that the powerful quake left hundreds of thousands of commuters stranded outside underground train stations as services were suspended.
Restaurants near stations were packed to the brim with commuters sheltering from the cold winds, he reported.
"Public phone booths had long queues of people wanting to use land lines as mobile phone services were jammed," he said in an SMS message to Bernama.
Yong reported that the Malaysian embassy in Tokyo was working round the clock to check on the safety of Malaysians, including students.
Malaysian ambassador to Japan Shaharuddin Md Som was reportedly
attending a seminar when the quake struck and rushed back to the embassy to oversee operations.
Many pictures and files in the ambassador's office reportedly fell to the ground when the quake struck.
Meanwhile, Wisma Putra in a statement said the Malaysian embassy in Tokyo would closely monitor developments and work closely with the Japanese authorities to get the latest information from the ground.
"There are no reports of casualties among Malaysians at press time and all embassy officials and their families are reported to be safe," the statement said.
"The embassy contacted the Malaysians and they are confirmed safe. We could not contact all Malaysians because some of them are back in Malaysia on holiday or in nearby prefectures due to semester breaks," he said when contacted by Bernama.
Of the 100 contacted, 67 are students - 43 of them in Miyagi, 18 in Iwate and six in Aomori, he said.
Ahmad Rozian said the Malaysians had been informed of the necessary measures to take during an emergency, such as going to evacuation centres.
A devastating 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck offshore northern Japan today and unleashed a 10-metre high tsunami which lashed the country.
Early reports said that at least 59 people were killed in the twin disasters but later reports by Kyodo News and Jiji Press Agency said around 200 to 300 bodies were found in Sendai.
A tsunami warning was also issued for all countries of the Pacific Basin except the United States and Canada.
Bernama editor-in chief Yong Soo Heong, who is in Tokyo for a Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro) assignment, reported that the powerful quake left hundreds of thousands of commuters stranded outside underground train stations as services were suspended.
Restaurants near stations were packed to the brim with commuters sheltering from the cold winds, he reported.
"Public phone booths had long queues of people wanting to use land lines as mobile phone services were jammed," he said in an SMS message to Bernama.
Yong reported that the Malaysian embassy in Tokyo was working round the clock to check on the safety of Malaysians, including students.
Malaysian ambassador to Japan Shaharuddin Md Som was reportedly
attending a seminar when the quake struck and rushed back to the embassy to oversee operations.
Many pictures and files in the ambassador's office reportedly fell to the ground when the quake struck.
Meanwhile, Wisma Putra in a statement said the Malaysian embassy in Tokyo would closely monitor developments and work closely with the Japanese authorities to get the latest information from the ground.
"There are no reports of casualties among Malaysians at press time and all embassy officials and their families are reported to be safe," the statement said.
