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Japan Reeling from 7.0 Earthquake; Nigerian Senate Demands Action on Kidnapped Schoolgirls; Royals at the Taj Mahal; A Look at the Global Implications of a Brexit. Aired 2-2:30a ET

Aired April 16, 2016 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:16] NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Natalie Allen in Atlanta and we begin this hour in Japan. The country, one island at least, reeling from a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that hit Kyushu Island early Saturday. The death toll now stands at 16. A Kumamoto City official tells CNN that some 800 people are injured. The quake struck just a few kilometers from where a so-called foreshock, an earlier quake, struck two days earlier.

Meantime, rescue crews are scrambling to reach people who may still be trapped. Japan's government says 20,000 self-defense forces have been deployed to help in the rescue effort. Widespread power outages are being reported. Last hour, we had some 172,000 homes without power.

We wanted to turn now to a citizen from the United States who witnessed this earthquake firsthand. She's living in Japan. Margaret Adams joins me now on the phone. And Margaret, we know this is a very nerve-racking time for you, and we appreciate you taking a moment to speak with us. Where were you when the first earthquake hit and what did you experience?

MARGARET ADAMS, WITNESS OF JAPAN'S EARTHQUAKE: The first earthquake I was at my apartment in the middle of the city near the castle, and it just started shaking violently. There hadn't been any small earthquakes leading up to it, so I wasn't expecting it. And it just -- everything was just jerking around and wouldn't stop. It just went on and on.

ALLEN: Had you ever been in an earthquake before?

ADAMS: Oh, yeah. I was in the one five years ago that caused the tsunami and the nuclear incident.

ALLEN: Oh, right.

ADAMS: I was in Tokyo for that.

ALLEN: Oh, my goodness. Well, at least you knew what was happening because unfortunately you had experienced it before. When the second earthquake happened, were you still in your apartment?

ADAMS: No. For the second one, I was at my friend's house. And I thought that it might be safer to get to higher ground because people were talking about, you know, maybe tsunami and (inaudible). But where I am now, the higher ground is nice but I'm right on the fault line. So the shaking was especially violent here.

ALLEN: I see. Where will you go? Where are people being told to go? Are you seeing rescues taking place, or are you seeing officials helping in the region where you are?

ADAMS: People are doing what they can. There are makeshift shelters. My friend's house is right by a park, and the park last night was just filled with cars packed in. I'm staying put. It's kind -- when everything is shaking, it's pretty scary. You don't know if you should try to go somewhere else or stay where you are. For now, I'm staying here.

ALLEN: Absolutely. And so many people are doing what you've seen, is just staying outside. Can you tell us about the second earthquake? It was much stronger than the first. What did you experience? Take us through that if you would, Margaret.

ADAMS: Well, I had not gotten any sleep since the first quake, and the aftershocks are just -- they're constant. But I was trying to get some rest and, you know, like having panic attacks. And then it hit again. And it's like not again. And the shaking was just like not swaying but violent jerking back and forth, up and down. And for -- I don't know how long -- maybe almost a minute, but it just feels like forever and you're just wanting it to stop, and it's getting worse.

And then like I said, we're on a mountain, and immediately after, you could hear all the cars just speeding up the mountain. People trying to get away from -- I don't know -- a tsunami or something, even if there's not a warning yet. You know, they have ...

ALLEN: Right.

ADAMS: ... the memory of the one from five years ago.

ALLEN: Yeah, absolutely.

ADAMS: Yes.

ALLEN: And just not knowing because so much of the island there is without power. Do you have power where you're staying, and do you see any other damage around you where you are?

ADAMS: Where I am right now, we still have power. If I had stayed at my apartment in the city, I wouldn't have power. And, yes, the houses around here, a lot of the houses are either totally collapsed or half, like the roofs are falling down, yeah.

ALLEN: Well, Margaret, we wish you well. We hope you find another safe place for the night.

[02:05:00] Margaret Adams talking with us there. Thank you so much, and we wish you and your friends all the best.

Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is with me now. You know, if I had just gone through two earthquakes, I couldn't sit there and talk to CNN.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No, and so calmly like that as well.

ALLEN: We really appreciate.

VAN DAM: Yeah. Two guests we have had that have been spoken very well about the situation on the ground there. It's very nice to have that on-the-ground, you know, commentary about what is actually taking place.

ALLEN: And she just said all around her, roofs have crumbled.

VAN DAM: Yeah.

ALLEN: Structures have crumbled. And you and I were talking about the fact that Japan is pretty much as earthquake-proof as you can get.

VAN DAM: That's correct.

ALLEN: It shows you how big this last earthquake was.

VAN DAM: You can imagine that there are a lot of compromised buildings, Natalie, from the original 6.2 earthquake. Now that we have had a 7.0, that's the damage to these structures, which are supposed to be resilient to earthquakes, is going to be quite significant, and any further aftershocks could bring down buildings quite easily.

Take a look at this. This is the U.S. geological survey map. We're mapping out all the aftershocks from the original 6.2 earthquake, which was on Thursday evening at 9:26 p.m., and the current one that just occurred here on Saturday morning at 1:25 in the morning. I'm going to explain the difference between the two and the amount of population that felt various shaking.

By the way, there have been about 70 aftershocks from the most recent 7.0 earthquake. Let's zoom in to this region. The blue, or rather the orange dots, those are the most recent aftershocks within the past 24 hours. The yellow dots, those would be associated with the 6.2 magnitude earthquake that occurred, again, Thursday morning.

The difference between these two earthquakes? About 15 times more energy was expelled by this 7.0 compared to that of the 6.2.

Let's zoom in just a little bit closer, get a 3D perspective of this Kumamoto region and the Kyushu Island and to Southern Japan, and we'll put on what is called shake data. This is for the original 6.2 magnitude earthquake. And I want you to see that shading of orange and the pillar-type structures. This is identifying the population density that felt the most extreme shaking. It was considered severe by USGS.

And think of those little columns, the circular columns there as high- rise buildings. The higher they go, the more people you can fit in it. So this is a larger population density. The higher those tubes go into the air (ph). That shading of orange, again, representing the severe shaking. 750,000 people experiencing severe shaking from the original Thursday 6.2 magnitude.

Now, let's take that data off and put on the most recent earthquake, the 7.0 that occurred on Saturday morning. Now, you're starting to see shades of red. That is violent shaking. Even the most resilient of structures will and could potentially crumble. A catastrophic damage across this area, widespread I should say.

And look at how far out that felt -- the shaking was actually felt. In fact, there have been reports that even into Tokyo, some 1,000 kilometers away, they felt the shakes from this very shallow 10 kilometer below the surface earthquake.

Now, one last thing I want to show you quickly is that this particular city is built right upon some very steep mountain ranges. Look at the city and the landscape here. That's a river. These are all buildings. You can imagine that landslides and mudslides are a major concern as well. We've seen aerial footage of that, which we'll go to in just one moment.

But I do want to bring up quickly the forecast going forward because landslides will continue to be a threat not only because the aftershocks and the earthquakes have made the ground more loose, more susceptible to landslides, but there's rain that is headed this way and that is going to exacerbate that potential of landslides, and it's also going to make the search and rescue operations that much more difficult as temperatures plummet behind this cold front.

Now, we'll see the video that I'm talking about. This is the land slides that have occurred, thanks to the earthquake and the subsequent aftershocks. This is terrifying, and I think we'll end on this. But that is a very precarious position that that vehicle ...

ALLEN: I don't know how that car stayed there.

VAN DAM: I don't see how that car could potentially stay there. I would imagine there's no one in there, but one small aftershock will bring that tumbling down into the ...

ALLEN: And look at the treason of earth there below. I mean, they're just completely on their side.

VAN DAM: What can you say? Very scary moments.

ALLEN: All right. These are just the initial pictures we're getting.

VAN DAM: That's correct, yeah, right.

ALLEN: Derek thanks. Coming up here, we will have more on the earthquake in Japan. We'll check the latest conditions and we'll find out more about the aftershocks they can expect there.

Also ahead here, what do Nigeria is planning next in its efforts to rescue school girls Boko Haram kidnapped two years ago?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:12:03] ALLEN: Welcome back. If you are just joining us, our top story is from Japan, where a magnitude 7.0 earthquake slammed Kyushu Island early on Saturday. At least 16 people are confirmed dead. A city official in Kumamoto region says at least 800 people are injured. Rescue crews are frantically searching for the missing. Many feared trapped under fallen buildings and debris.

You may recall Japan was already scrambling to recover from a tremor that killed nine people on the island on Thursday.

We turn now to other news we're following. Nigeria's Senate is demanding answers from its security chiefs over the missing Chibok girls. This comes in response to this so-called proof of life video obtained by CNN. A government official told CNN the new footage add a new dimension to their investigation. It has been two years since Boko Haram kidnapped these girls. 276 of them from their school dormitory. Nigeria's Finance Minister said the timing of this video is very telling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEMI ADEOSUN, NIGERIAN FINANCE MINISTER: I think the fact that they've brought out videos on the two-year anniversary speaks a lot about the organization behind this kidnap. I don't think it's a random group of people. I mean to be as callous, and I think callous is the only word to put out a video two years later showing these girls. I think it's just cruel, and I think we've got to take account of the type of opposition or the type of people that are behind this and that they are very organized. But I think this government is very determined, and the girls will be retrieved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: It is believed the video you saw there was shot on Christmas Day.

The Greek island of Lesbos is getting ready for a visit from the Pope. Pope Francis will arrive in another hour or so. He's going there to show support for the migrants and refugees stranded throughout Europe. The flow of refugees and migrants across borders, of course, has produced a growing humanitarian crisis. Many fleeing war in Syria.

It's not the first time the Pope is standing behind refugees. He has urged Roman Catholic churches to take in families who have left their homes.

The royals are in Agra, India today. They're visiting the Taj Mahal, the country's world-famous monument to love. Prince William's mother, Princess Diana, visited the same site back in 1992. An iconic photograph from that trip led to a bench outside being nicknamed Lady Di's Chair. Now Kate and William, her son, follow in her footsteps.

Our Sumnima Udas joins us now from Agra to talk more about what's expected. Hello there, Sumnima. [02:14:59] SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Natalie. It's been a very colorful and successful trip so far, no doubt. A seven-day tour through India and of course Bhutan as well. But this is certainly going to be the defining moment.

In about five hours from now, Prince William and the Duchess will be coming to the Taj Mahal right behind me. Not only of course is this important because this is the iconic monument of love, but also because of the history associated with Prince William's mother, Princess Diana.

Now, Princess Diana and Prince Charles were in Indian back in 1992. They were both supposed to visit the Taj Mahal at that time, but Prince Charles opted to meet with some businessmen instead in New Delhi. So, she came alone. She took a tour of the Taj Mahal. At that time, she told the tour guide that she wished her husband was there. Then she posed for photos on a bench which is now called Lady Diana's Chair. It took about five minutes. When she was posing, she, of course, looked very lonely, very wistful, and some might even say sad in those photographs.

And at that time, not many people were aware that the couple weren't really getting along at the time. And 10 months later is when the world came to know that the couple was separating. So that image really came to symbolize the end of what really should have been a fairy tale relationship.

Now, with Prince William and the Duchess coming here, of course they're going to be sending out a very different message, a message of love really and of a much of relationship that's in a much, much better place. And the attempt or the hope here is really to try to create new memories. Natalie?

ALLEN: Yeah, absolutely. All right. We look forward to seeing the pictures and the video when they get there. Thank you, Sumnima Udas for us.

Well, Britain faces its biggest political decision in decades. Should it stay in the European Union or walk away? The official campaign began Friday.

Nic Robertson, our diplomatic editor, takes a look at the global implications of a so-called Brexit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, out of the gate, strong for the Leave campaign. Boris Johnson, a flamboyant Mayor of London gone to Manchester to deliver his message. And that message is, "We're better off out than in. We should leave the European Union because we're giving them a lot of money and that money could be better spent here."

BORIS JOHNSON, MAYOR OF LONDON: Imagine if somebody came to us now and said would you like to join this club, a club that costs us 20 billion pounds a year, that takes away our right to control our borders and our right to control our democracy, and where the real economic benefits to this country, the real economic benefits of membership to go back to the Beno are about the same as membership of the Desperate Dan Pie-Eater's Club.

ROBERTSON: Well, to answer that argument, if you will, on the Remain campaign, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling came out with a long speech and it was about the economy part of it, saying, "Look, we're in Europe at the moment. It's a good place for us to be. Why?" Because we're going through a period of economic recovery. It's not as strong as we would like, and if we leave the European Union, then potentially the economy could struggle, a better time to stay in." And he said on so many big international issues, better to be at the table than not there.

ALISTAIR DARLING, FORMER CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER: If we choose to remain, we will retain our ability to shape international cooperation over development, human rights, intelligence sharing and security, climate change, global commerce and peace-keeping, the behavior of multinational companies and working people's rights.

ROBERTSON: And wading into all of this, next week President Obama coming to London to meet with David Cameron. If asked, President Obama will say in a friendly way that, yes, the United States thinks Britain is better off in the European Union, that it is stronger globally. The United States would like to see as key European allies there with a strong voice inside Europe. From the Leave campaign, however, the opposite view. This is not positive for them that President Obama will weigh in in potentially such a strong way.

Nigel Farage, another flamboyant leader and figure from the Leave campaign said this about President Obama's visit.

NIGEL FARAGE, UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY LEADER: Well, mercifully, this American president, who was the most anti-British American president there has ever been, won't be in office for much longer, and I hope will be replaced by somebody rather more sensible when it comes to trading relationships with this country.

ROBERTSON: So today, kicked if off the battle of the Brexit. Will it happen? Won't it happen? Neck and neck at the polls pretty much. The Leave and the Remain Campaign, that's the way it seen at the moment, two more months. 23rd of June, the day of truth, the day of voting. We're going to hear a lot more about it.

Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff canceled a nationally televised address that had been scheduled for Friday evening.

[02:20:02] She was expected to make a case to the public to prevent her impeachment. No reason was given for canceling the event.

Meantime, the lower house of Brazil's Congress is expected to vote Sunday whether to impeach her. Ms. Rousseff has accused of breaking budget laws for hiding deficit ahead of her re-election in 2014.

Next here, more of our continuing coverage of the earthquake that hit Japan's Kyushu Island.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: We want to update you on our top story. Breaking news out of Japan where a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Kyushu Island early Saturday. At least 16 people are confirmed dead in the quake. Rescue crews are working to find the missing. Many people feared trapped under many fallen structures.

Japan was already scrambling to recover from a tremor that killed nine people Thursday. This latest quake is reportedly 30 times stronger than the previous one. And you can see right there from that sheared off mountain just how powerful this was. And then there's that car dangling off a parking lot that crashed down.

Saturday's earthquake struck about 13 kilometers away from the epicenter of Thursday's tremor, which the U.S. geological survey called a foreshock.

This is new video from Thursday's 6.2 quake as it struck. It struck there near Kumamoto and was followed by dozens of smaller aftershocks. At least 16 people were killed. Some 800 injured and more than 44,000 people have been evacuated.

The government sent about 3,000 emergency workers to the quake zone, who have since been joined by thousands more.

Earlier I spoke with a U.S. citizen currently living in Kumamoto about both earthquakes. He says Saturday's tremor made him fear for his life. Here's a portion of our conversation.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

NOEL VINCENT, WITNESS OF JAPAN'S EARTHQUAKE: Some co-workers and I were headed out for Chinese food on Thursday evening, and we just kind of felt all of the earth just fall beneath us. That's kind of what it felt like, and it was -- there was some pretty tremendous shaking, and there have been just constant aftershocks since then. I'd say we get one, you know, on average about once every two or three hours.

And then this most recent major one has caused, you know, severe structural damage to Kumamoto Castle, which I'm currently looking at.

The castle walls have fallen, particularly older buildings built around the '50s and '60s have collapsed all around town. From what I've heard in the Mashiko area, there are, you know, fires. I had heard some rumor that their city hall had even fired, or collapsed, or -- and suffered some kind of damage.

ALLEN: Help us appreciate, Noel, how much stronger the second quake was, and were you sleeping at the time? Where were you?

VINCENT: Excellent question. I had returned to my apartment by about 9:00 p.m. on Friday evening, and I had begun to clean up my apartment.

[02:25:07] And just as I had finished cleaning up my apartment, I kind of settled into bed. It was 1:00 a.m. or where about 1:00 am, and then just this extremely intense shaking began. And whereas the first earthquake was more of an up-and-down type of shaking, this was more of a side-to-side shaking. And I can't comment on why that is seismologically, but I can tell you it was very, very intense, and I feared for my life. So my first reaction was to get out of bed, prop up my furniture from falling again because after all, I had just cleaned up my room. And then as soon as that stopped, I ran outside to convene with all of the other evacuees.

ALLEN: What was that like, everybody there together? Did you get support from people? And what kind of structure do you live in? You say an apartment. Is it a mid-rise, a high-rise?

VINCENT: I don't really know what constitutes a high-rise building, but I'll say it was eight stories and I was on the sixth. So I was fairly high up and, you know, as you can imagine, the higher up you are, the more violently you feel the shaking. So it was really terrifying. And frankly, I was still terrified even after I got out of the building.

It was some combination of hoping that others were all right, whether they had escaped the building. And even after I'd gotten out onto the parking lot outside of my apartment building, I was still concerned that other apartment buildings might actually collapse and fall onto the parking lot area because I looked up at, you know, several swaying high-rise apartment buildings that looked as if they might, you know, come and collapse into the parking lot.

As of yet, I still haven't checked in on my apartment to see whether it's standing or not. I imagine it is, but it suffered some pretty significant damage. There were cracks in the, you know, some of the central columns, and my entire apartment building appeared to be leaning about five degrees to the right. So I'm really concerned. I don't want to go back there.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

ALLEN: And he doesn't know where he'll stay this evening. And again, that was Noel Vincent, a U.S. citizen who's been living in Kumamoto for three years.

Well, thank you for watching. I'm Natalie Allen. I'll have our top stories right after a short break. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:09] ALLEN: This is CNN news now. The death toll in Saturday's earthquake in Japan stands at 16.