Evening star., 1948-06-30
Quake Relief
Rushed as Estimates
Of Toll Vary Widely
By the Assoeiofsd Press

FUKUI, Japan, June 30.-Relief
supplies poured today into a S.
lifelong strip Of Western Japan
laid waste Monday by a great earth
quake that crumpled this city of
80, 900 and left in ruins score or
more other towns.
Military government, conceding
that many bodies may never be
found, stuck to an estimate of 3.155
dead and 1880 seriously injured
throughout the area.
Occupation headquarters in
Tokyo, however. on the basis OF
American medical workers re-
ports from the scene, put the re-
covered dead at Sc, seriously in
jured at 1000 and slightly in
jured at 1000. 1t obviously did
not include the 200 children re-
ported by military government
officers to have been crushed to
death in a movie theater.
News Agency Reports 4,070 Dead.
CKyodo News Agency reported
from Fukui that police estimated
total casualties would exceed
13,000-4,070 dead and 8,948 in
jured in Fukui Prefecture and
80 dead and 1870 injured in Ishi-
kaWa Prefecture to the north.
CThe agency said $4,000 build
ings and dwellings were de-
stroyed in the two prefectures)
CAT noon, Japanese time, the
United States 9th Army at
Yokohoma announced reports
from the Japanese Welfare Min
istry gave the casualty toll as
9,098-2,573 dead and 6,525 in
jured.
wide discrepancies in the
quake toll may be laid to jap
anese excitability and excessive
official military conservatism.
(Allied and United States 1st
Corps headquarters have told
medical field teams to count
bodies. On this basis, they are
sticking to Sc dead.
military government. on the
other hand, has access to reports
of all relief workers who are
digging in the ruins for victims.)
Many Seek Treatment.
Sleepless and weary, Americans
and Japanese worked side by side
for the dead and issuing
food and medicine to the living.
Long lines of japanese men ard
stood before emergency aid
stations to be treated for injuries
Fukui city, once a bustling silk
manufacturing center, slowly was
returning to life. Regular bus serv-
ice was resumed between Takefu
and Fukui, distance of II miles
Within the city people moved by
bicycle, on foot or in trucks. At least
so streetcars were stalled on the
quake-w warped tracks. Many were
destroyed by subsequent fire.
Between six and eight square
miles of the city were completely
destroyed A canal system through
the city saved it from even greater
fire destruction.
The city is still without electric
lights, power, water, telephones and
telegraph. Many persons raised
shelters from bits of wreckage and
tin.
Food Stocks Promised.
American patrols moved through
he town in radio equipped jeeps.
There were medical corpsmen with
irst aid. infantrymen to keep order,
interpreters to handle the language
barriers and raidiomen to bridge
he communications breaks.
The japanese government prom
sed stocks of frozen food to feed
he hungry and clothing for the
leedy.
Americans still dazed by the panic
md terror of the quake told how
hey fought through soaring heat
and falling timbers to escape death.
All escaped with nothing more
han scratches. The men remained
o carry on rescue work. Women
md children were taken to Kyoto.
The men told of instant fear for
heir dependents as the earth
leaved and tossed for more than 5
minutes Monday.
They ran from their buildings,
lerded their children into the open
md watched as their homes toppled.
Austrians 10 Plead Aqain