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CNN Live At Daybreak

Japan Quake: Fear of Aftershocks

Aired September 26, 2003 - 06:38   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 LIN, CNN ANCHOR: In Japan, people on the northern island of Hokkaido are bracing for more aftershocks, following a powerful earthquake.
Our Tokyo bureau chief, Rebecca MacKinnon, joins us now by telephone with the latest from there.

Rebecca -- so far no deaths, is that right?

REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN TOKYO BUREAU CHIEF: That is correct, Carol. There are 323 people reported injured, 22 seriously, mainly with broken bones. However, no deaths, unless you want to count the man who was hit by a car picking up debris after the quake.

So, people coming off fairly luckily on this quake, which, it turns out, happened off the coast of Hokkaido, which is why -- even though it was magnitude 8, which is the largest earthquake in the world this year -- it did not manage to kill anybody. The epicenter was about 50 miles offshore and more than 20 miles under the seabed.

So, there's a lot of property damage today. People are still assessing that damage, and many still not having the chance to assess the damage to their homes because they've been evacuated from the coastline. About 40,000 people evacuated due to the fear of aftershocks and also tsunami tidal waves, although those warnings are now -- those concerns of the tsunami are beginning to die down. But officials are being as cautious as possible before people can go back to their homes -- Carol.

LIN: All right, still an ongoing situation there in Hokkaido. Rebecca MacKinnon reporting live there by telephone. She's going to be monitoring the story and reporting in throughout the day.

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 September 26, 2003 - 06:38   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: In Japan, people on the northern island of Hokkaido are bracing for more aftershocks, following a powerful earthquake.
Our Tokyo bureau chief, Rebecca MacKinnon, joins us now by telephone with the latest from there.

Rebecca -- so far no deaths, is that right?

REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN TOKYO BUREAU CHIEF: That is correct, Carol. There are 323 people reported injured, 22 seriously, mainly with broken bones. However, no deaths, unless you want to count the man who was hit by a car picking up debris after the quake.

So, people coming off fairly luckily on this quake, which, it turns out, happened off the coast of Hokkaido, which is why -- even though it was magnitude 8, which is the largest earthquake in the world this year -- it did not manage to kill anybody. The epicenter was about 50 miles offshore and more than 20 miles under the seabed.

So, there's a lot of property damage today. People are still assessing that damage, and many still not having the chance to assess the damage to their homes because they've been evacuated from the coastline. About 40,000 people evacuated due to the fear of aftershocks and also tsunami tidal waves, although those warnings are now -- those concerns of the tsunami are beginning to die down. But officials are being as cautious as possible before people can go back to their homes -- Carol.

LIN: All right, still an ongoing situation there in Hokkaido. Rebecca MacKinnon reporting live there by telephone. She's going to be monitoring the story and reporting in throughout the day.

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