48 dead as Japan earthquake leaves homes flattened and roads torn apart

EPACopyright: EPA

It's just after midnight in Japan and 15:00 (GMT) for our team in London, so we are going to end our coverage on this page and will continue to bring you more information across the BBC News Channel and the website.

Here's a round up of what we know:

• A 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Japan on 1 January just after 16:00 local time
• The number of people killed from the quake currently stands at 48
• Homes and buildings have collapsed, destroying neighbourhoods
• Japan's prime minister Fumio Kishida said emergency crews were "in a race against time" to search for victims trapped under any rubble
• The quake caused the land to rise up more than 4m (13ft) and move 130cm west
• Around 200 tremors have been detected since the quake hit, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency

EPACopyright: EPA

The power of the magnitude 7.5 quake in Japan can be seen in just how much the ground moved.

It rose up by more than 4m (13ft) in places and moved sideways by over a metre.

Earthquake-prone Japan is hugely advanced in monitoring what happens when the ground shakes. That's why it can make such precise measurements.

There's a network of GPS stations dotted at strategic points right across the country. When an earthquake strikes, scientists can tell exactly how much each one has moved, showing how the landscape has buckled and shifted.

This system shows that the land moved as much as 130cm to the west after the earthquake on Monday.

You can read more on this here.

It’s been a difficult few days for Japan. First a massive earthquake struck, initially raising concerns of tsunamis.

In the country’s northwest, hundreds of homes have been flattened, people remain trapped and some are struggling to access clean drinking water.

Twenty-four hours later, a major collision paralysed Tokyo’s Haneda airport. The smaller plane was actually going to deliver food to earthquake affected areas and take part in the response.

Now five crew members from Japan’s Coast Guard, which was operating the smaller plane, have died as a result of the collision.

You can follow our live coverage of the aircraft collision in Tokyo here.

Kyodo via ReutersCopyright: Kyodo via Reuters

For many, the earthquake and tsunami warnings will have conjured dark memories of 2011, when a powerful earthquake and a massive tsunami caused the reactor at Fukushima to go into meltdown.

Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority says were no irregularities have been found at plants along the Sea of Japan, including five active reactors at the Ohi and Takahama plants.

But there have been power outages and oil leaks reported at the Shika plant, which was closest to the epicentre of the earthquake.

No radiation is thought to have leaked from the plant - which is currently idle.

The company which runs Shika says "no significant damage" has been found, but says it will continue to inspect as aftershocks continue.

The earthquake comes at a sensitive time for Japan's nuclear industry, Reuters reports, with an operational ban on the country's biggest nuclear facility - introduced after the 2011 disaster – only being lifted last week.

EPACopyright: EPA

Barnie Davies lives in Kanazawa, a city that was shaken by the earthquake. He was at home when it started.

"Recently we've had quite a few small earthquakes, but this one just continued and got bigger and bigger”, he says.

"It lasted about a minute-and-a-half. It was really quite scary."

Barnie says his fridge door was banging open, and books and photos were flying off shelves.

He explains: "As it started I thought it was another small one so I started taking a video for my family, but then it just got worse.

“When I went upstairs everything had fallen down."

Barnie’s wife and daughters were out shopping when the earthquake struck. They had to crouch down, cover their heads and evacuate because of alerts.

He said he was more worried about his family at that point. They have now evacuated their home and taken shelter in the local school gym.

Lauren CullenCopyright: Lauren Cullen

A student from Fareham, Hampshire, has described how she was resting after New Year celebrations when her eight-storey building shook from side to side, sending her belongings tumbling.

Lauren Cullen, 21,who is studying in Japan on her year abroad at Nagoya University of Foreign Studies, says: "I’d not long woken up when the whole building started shaking from side to side quite violently.

“I got up and a few seconds later the alarm came through on everyone’s phones.

“It was quick, think, what to do. I ran under the desk and got into the brace position.

“It was a few minutes later when the tremors ended."

She was told by the residence assistants to pack her bags ready to be evacuated but says luckily they did not need to leave.

“After the first shock I got up and tried to pick up everything that had fallen. And not before long it started again. It was less strong but still strong enough to knock things over,” she says.

It is just after 22:00 in Japan. Here is a recap of the latest news:

• Yesterday's earthquake in Japan is now known to have killed 48 people
• Japan's Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, warned that rescuers are facing a "race against time" to rescue survivors, some of whom may be buried under the rubble
• Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by Monday's quake or by subsequent fires
• There have been numerous aftershocks, including a 4.9 quake earlier today in Ishikawa
• Most rail services, ferries and flights into the area worst affected - the Noto peninsula - have been suspended
• In an incident unrelated to the earthquake, a Japan Airlines plane caught fire as it collided with a coastguard aircraft on its way to provide earthquake relief at Tokyo's Haneda airport. Five people onboard the coastguard plane are known to have died, but the Japan Airlines plane's 379 passengers and crew managed to escape

The governor of the Ishikawa prefecture, in the central region of Japan's main island, says he is doing everything he can to rescue people and assess the extent of the damage.

Writing on X, Hiroshi Hase says 36,000 meals are being delivered across the region, including by helicopter to the city of Wajima which has been cut off from land routes.

Trucks will take food to other towns and cities, he says.

He says he has spoken with the prime minister and chief cabinet secretary to request supplies and send additional personnel to the area.

The short answer is: very.

Japan is located in one of the most active earthquake zones on earth.

The Philippine plate and the Pacific plate are moving towards the much bigger continental Eurasian and North American plates.

The movement can be up to around 9cm each year.

Earthquakes in Japan still have the power to cause widespread destruction, but the country has made strides in terms of designing its buildings to withstand quakes.

When a massive quake hit Tokyo in 1923, it flattened huge swathes of the city.

It led to the drawing up of Japan's first quake-resistant building code. From then on new buildings would need to be reinforced with steel and concrete. Wooden buildings would have thicker beams.

Each time the country has been hit by a large quake, the damage has been studied and the regulations updated. The biggest leap took place in 1981 after which all new buildings required seismic isolation measures. Again, after the Kobe quake in 1995, more lessons were learned.

It is now common for people to prioritise living in buildings built after 1981.

Five people who were onboard the coastguard plane that collided with a Japan Airlines passenger jet in Tokyo have died, AFP news agency quotes Japan's transport minister as saying.

State broadcaster NKH has also reported five dead. The captain escaped but is severely injured, it adds.

The coastguard plane was heading to join the earthquake rescue effort, Japan's coastguard said.

You can follow our live page on the crash here.

Collapsed buildings, smoking ruins and boats hanging from jetties are seen in aerial pictures taken near the epicentre of Monday's earthquake in Japan.

Footage shows fire damage in the town of Wajima and the wrecked harbour in Suzu, both on the hard-hit Noto peninsula.

A day after the earthquake struck Japan, rescue efforts are continuing:

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

We've just heard that the Japanese coastguard plane that is thought to have collided with a Japanese Airlines plane at Haneda Airport was heading to Niigata to join the rescue effort and transport goods, Japan’s coastguard has said.

The aircraft had six passengers. One of them evacuated, but five people are unaccounted for.

Follow our live page on the plane crash here.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

The BBC's Jean Mackenzie has visited the peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture where yesterday's quake hit to assess the damage.

She tried to get as close as possible to the epicentre, despite significant damage cutting off routes in the region.

As a reminder, the 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck on Monday, killing at least 48 people.

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In what appears to be an incident unrelated to the earthquake, a Japan Airlines plane has caught fire as it landed on a runway at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Tuesday evening.

Footage on broadcaster NHK shows flames coming out of the windows of the aircraft and beneath it.

NHK, citing authorities, said the plane may have collided with another aircraft after landing at Haneda. There are passengers on board.

We have started a live page to follow this developing story. You can find it here.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

The devastation caused by an earthquake in central Japan is becoming clearer - let's bring you up to date with the latest developments.

• The death toll has risen with officials confirming 48 people are now known to have died
• Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by Monday's quake or by subsequent fires
• There have been numerous aftershocks as emergency workers search for people feared to be trapped under rubble
• Japanese PM Fumio Kishida has ordered army personnel to help with the relief effort, which is being hampered by extensive damage to roads
• Kishida's chief cabinet secretary has warned people to "be alert" for more earthquakes in the coming week
• The government says just over 57,000 people have been evacuated
• Tens of thousands of households remain without power

A day on from yesterday's 7.6-magnitude earthquake, Japan is still experiencing tremors, with the latest being a 4.9 quake in Ishikawa.

As a reminder, here is where yesterday's earthquake hit. It was the largest in the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefercture since records began in 1885.

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