Evening star., 1948-06-28
Quakes, Fire
Wreck Jap City;
To|IUncertain
U. 5. Authorities Call
Estimote of 5000
Casualties Excessive
By the Associoted Press

By the Assoeiotsd Press
TOKYO, June %. - Three
heavy earthquakes followed by
fire wrecked the Western Hon.
shu city of Fukui late today.
japanese newspapers guessed the
total of dead and injured might
reach 5000, but United States occu-
patton authorities said first fears
had proved excessive and declined
to make an estimate.
The only known casualty figures
were 10 dead and so injured at
Daishoji, coastal village 20 miles
northeast of Fukui.
1T is apparently not as bad as
we thought 1t was" said Brig. Gen.
Crawford Sans, head of the occu-
pation's health and welfare section.
Damage appears to be pretty well
localized"
Americans Reported Safe.
Col. C. C. Carter. adjutant general
of the First Corps, told the ASsociat-
ed Press there were no indications
of any tidal wave japanese had
earlier expressed fears there might
be such waves, as they often follow
coastal earthquakes.
Fukui, a city of about $4,000 popu-
lation, is 200 miles west of Tokyo
and 10 miles from the Sea of Japan.
1t was IS per cent destroyed by
American Super Fortresses in July.
l945, but since had been largely re-
built.
Occupation headquarters had no
figures Immediately on the number
of Americans in the area, but said
all apparently were safe. There
were no reports on American cas-
ualties, and a Japanese broadcast
from the area said all occupation
personnel okay," Col Carter de-
clared.
Army Sends Relief Train.
The epicenter of the earth shocks
appeared to be in Fukui. Tokyo
and Osaka, the latter l60 miles
southeast of the scene, felt the
shocks but reported no damage, and
there were no disaster reports from
points outside the immediate Fukui
vicinity.
A United States Army relief train
commanded by Maj. Gen. Joseph
w. Swing, commander of the 1st
Corps, left Kyoto.
japanese reports said the railway
was clear to within 10 or IL miles
of Fukui. ....
Gen. Sans said another train was
available in Tokyo, but was not
being sent as there appeared to be
no immediate necessity for it.
Plenty of help and supplies
already are on the way" he said.
japanese national police Cancelled
plans to declare a state of emer-
gency in the stricken area. They
said police, f1remen and doctors
from four neighboring prefectures
were going to the scene.
Fire Follows Shocks.
The first shock hit Fukui at 4:12
pm. (2:12 a.m.-correct. Eastern
daylight time). 1t was followed by
two others, with fire resulting al
most at once.
Original reports said 900 houses
collapsed in the first shock. but this
later was scaled down by the Army
to about 200.
Other Army reports said there
was no fire and damage was slight at
tho hin ~, q ,o,,fo ~ ,,riru oify If Kop
azawa. A long silence from the
city of 1876, 900 persons had produced
fears of heavy toll.
Radio equipment aboard Gen.
Swings train was to be used to send
back data on the disaster
Nobody really knows what hap
pened there Gen. Swing said be-
fore his departure.
Reports reaching Gen. Sans said
the quake was centered around
Fukui. Survivors who reached Osaka
placed most of the damage at Fukui,
which was heavily bombed during
the war but had been largely rebuilt
Some $1,000 houses stood in the city.
Most of them were of wood.
Few American occupation person.
mel are stationed in the quake area.
Tidal Waves Feared.
Tidal wave warnings were issued
japanese, remembering the $4,000
who died in the 1928 Tokyo quake
were jittery.
The heaviest damage appeared
to be in three prefectures, Fukui
Ishikawa and Toyama.
Buildings in Tokyo-several hun
dred miles to the northeast-swayed
and the quakes were felt at Nagoya
Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto.
The Osaka meteorological service
said the first of three temblors
struck at 4:12 pm. Other reports
(See QUAKE, Page ABB