Quake death toll rises to 36

2004-10-30 14:39

Tokyo - The human toll from a series of earthquakes in Japan has risen to 36 with the death of a woman who had been sleeping in a car after being evacuated from her home, a local official said on Saturday.

The 43-year-old woman died from a suspected case of deep vein thrombosis, also known as economy-class syndrome, which is caused by spending too long in a cramped position, a spokesperson for the Niigata prefecture government said.

Many residents have stayed in cars to avoid public shelters such as schools and because many believe vehicles to be safer in the event of another quake, despite most shelters being built to withstand earthquakes.

The woman had been living and sleeping in the car with her husband and two sons since the first tremor struck the central Niigata region on October 23. She died on Wednesday, the spokesperson said.

Risk of blood clots

Experts have warned people against staying in cars, saying that the cramped conditions increase the likelihood of people developing blood clots and deep vein thrombosis - similar to the risk faced by passengers on long flights.

Niigata officials have said several deaths among quake victims were caused by the condition.

"We are asking earthquake victims to stretch their legs and drink fluid to avoid conditions like economy class syndrome," the Niigata spokeswoman said.

About 85 000 people have been evacuated or left homeless by the first tremor, which measured 6.8 on the Richter scale and has been followed by hundreds of aftershocks.

The quake and aftershocks injured 2 383 people, mostly in Niigata, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

The Niigata government has asked the Japanese military to quickly set up tents to provide accommodation.

The earthquakes collapsed or partially damaged about 6 000 houses, caused cracks in 2 580 roads and triggered at least 216 landslides.

It was the deadliest to hit tremor-prone Japan since 1995 when 6 433 people were killed in the western city of Kobe.

- AFP