Over 1,200 volunteers join earthquake relief efforts in Kumamoto
More than 1,200 disaster relief volunteers have arrived in Japan’s quake-hit Kumamoto Prefecture since local municipalities began accepting volunteers this month, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing Kyodo.
Volunteer centers have been set up in 11 municipalities across the southwestern prefecture at the request of local authorities. By Saturday, 10 of them had begun sending volunteers to affected areas, with each receiving more applications than the number of volunteers requested.
A total of 1,293 volunteers had registered by Friday. They are helping with tasks such as clearing debris and cleaning homes damaged by the earthquake.
The prefectural government had initially asked prospective volunteers to refrain from entering areas devastated by the magnitude-7.1 earthquake on July 28 until local authorities were ready to receive them.
According to the Kumamoto government, the death toll stood at 39 as of Saturday, while more than 6,500 people remained in evacuation shelters. Approximately 18,000 homes were reported destroyed or damaged.
Earlier, it was reported that a landslide in Azumino, Nagano Prefecture on Saturday night left around 390 people stranded.