Unsplash/Tsukada Kazuhiro。 Haneda Airport, Tokyo, Japan. (Data map)
Answering a reporter's question at the headquarters in New York today, Florencia Soto Nino, assistant spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said that it had noticed that Japan had been hit by a series of strong earthquakes and plane collisions in the past 48 hours, and the United Nations expressed its condolences to the Japanese people in this regard.
A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.6
According to media reports, on January 1, local time, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, killing at least 55 people so far, and more than 100 houses were burned down due to serious fires in Wajima City, the hardest-hit city.
Nino said Secretary-General António Guterres was deeply saddened by the loss of life and destruction caused by the earthquake, and expressed solidarity with the Government and people of Japan.
He also expressed his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Two planes collided at Haneda Airport
Also according to media reports, on January 2, local time, a Japanese Airlines passenger plane collided with a Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, causing a fire. It is reported that the Coast Guard plane was preparing to fly to Niigata Airport to provide assistance to people affected by the earthquake on the Noto Peninsula.
Nino said that fortunately, everyone on the plane was evacuated safely and in a timely manner. However, five of the six people on board the Coast Guard aircraft were reportedly killed and the captain was seriously injured.
"At this moment, we express our condolences to the people of Japan and hope that they will be able to recover from the disaster as soon as possible," Nino said. ”
