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CNN Live Today

Strong Earthquake Rocks Northern Japan

Aired May 26, 2003 - 10:07   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A powerful earthquake rumbled underfoot in northern Japan this morning. The quake measuring a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 caused high rises to sway and scattered fires to break out.
Journalist Steve Herman is working in the capital city of Japan, which is Tokyo. He joins us live by telephone.

Steve, tell us, are there any injuries, and how much damage is there?

STEVE HERMAN, JOURNALIST: Yes, Carol, we have reports of at least 44 people who have been injured, including 5 residents of a home in the city of Sendai who were burned when their home caught fire. Officials say two other people are hospitalized in serious condition with broken bones. But overall, the assessment is that it's miraculous that nobody was killed.

This is the worst tremor to hit this part of Japan, Sendai, in 25 years.

As far as damage, the biggest concerns are with the transportation infrastructure. Some highways are blocked due to cracks in the road or landslides, and thousands of people hours after the earthquake hit are milling about train stations all over northern Japan, waiting for rail traffic, including those bullet trains, to resume.

COSTELLO: Oh, it's just so frightening to see those pictures that you're sending us right now. The epicenter of this earthquake took place 40 miles beneath the sea. That certainly minimized the damage, didn't it?

HERMAN: Absolutely, Carol. If this had hit onshore, we would perhaps be talking about thousands of deaths, as happened on Kobe in 1995, which was an earthquake of about the same magnitude as this one.

COSTELLO: Understand. Many thanks.

HERMAN: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Steve Herman live on the line from Tokyo this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.







Aired May 26, 2003 - 10:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A powerful earthquake rumbled underfoot in northern Japan this morning. The quake measuring a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 caused high rises to sway and scattered fires to break out.
Journalist Steve Herman is working in the capital city of Japan, which is Tokyo. He joins us live by telephone.

Steve, tell us, are there any injuries, and how much damage is there?

STEVE HERMAN, JOURNALIST: Yes, Carol, we have reports of at least 44 people who have been injured, including 5 residents of a home in the city of Sendai who were burned when their home caught fire. Officials say two other people are hospitalized in serious condition with broken bones. But overall, the assessment is that it's miraculous that nobody was killed.

This is the worst tremor to hit this part of Japan, Sendai, in 25 years.

As far as damage, the biggest concerns are with the transportation infrastructure. Some highways are blocked due to cracks in the road or landslides, and thousands of people hours after the earthquake hit are milling about train stations all over northern Japan, waiting for rail traffic, including those bullet trains, to resume.

COSTELLO: Oh, it's just so frightening to see those pictures that you're sending us right now. The epicenter of this earthquake took place 40 miles beneath the sea. That certainly minimized the damage, didn't it?

HERMAN: Absolutely, Carol. If this had hit onshore, we would perhaps be talking about thousands of deaths, as happened on Kobe in 1995, which was an earthquake of about the same magnitude as this one.

COSTELLO: Understand. Many thanks.

HERMAN: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Steve Herman live on the line from Tokyo this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.