facing two tragedies in as many days. suranjana tewari, bbc news, tokyo. 55 people are now known to have died in yesterday s earthquake injapan. it was 7.6 in magnitude, hitting the region of noto, with tremors being felt hundreds of miles away in the capital tokyo. the country s prime minister is tonight warning it s a race against time to rescue all those still trapped beneath the rubble. our correspondentjean mckenzie has the very latest as she tries to make her way to the town of wajima, near the epicentre of the quake. sirens this is a race for survival. rescue workers stream throuthapan s isolated noto peninsula, the roads blocking their way. they re trying to reach these worst affected areas in the north where people are trapped under their collapsed homes. many families were out at temples celebrating new year s day whenjapan was hit by its strongest
after losing his wife. at 82, he doesn t know how he ll manage the repairs. translation: we always have earthquakes around here. - but i just didn t think we d get a big one like this. i didn t take it seriously. i thought we were safe here. this is only the tip of the destruction. we are trying to get closer to the epicentre, to a city where we know that at least a dozen people have died and many more are trapped in their homes that have collapsed. but we are struggling because, if you look at this road here, it is completely ruptured. and this is what we keep coming up against these roads that are totally blocked off and even these emergency services here, these rescue teams, have been struggling to reach people in these worst affected areas. so we are still trying to piece together the extent of the damage, and how many people have been killed and injured. some firefighters have managed to get into the wrecked city of wajima, and are searching for survivors.
earthquakes around here. i but i just didn t think we d get a big one like this. i didn t take it seriously. i thought we were safe here. this is only the tip of the destruction. we are trying to get closer to the epicentre, to a city where we know that at least a dozen people have died and many more are trapped in their homes that have collapsed. but we are struggling because, if you look at this road here, it is completely ruptured. and this is what we keep coming up against these roads that are totally blocked off and even these emergency services here, these rescue teams, have been struggling to reach people in these worst affected areas. so we are still trying to piece together the extent of the damage, and how many people have been killed and injured. some firefighters have managed to get into the wrecked city of wajima, and are searching for survivors. but the death toll is expected to rise. the people here have lived through many an earthquake, but never felt tremors of this
some firefighters have managed to get into the wrecked city of wajima, and are searching for survivors. but the death toll is expected to rise. the people here have lived through many an earthquake, but never felt tremors of this magnitude which have shaken both their surroundings and their sense of safety. jean mackenzie, bbc news, in noto peninsula, injapan. high winds and heavy rain are battering parts of england and wales, as storm henk sweeps in. at exeter airport in devon wind gusts of 80 miles an hour were recorded the strongest for more than 30 years. rail services are being badly affected by flooding and fallen trees. the environment agency has issued more than 300 flood alerts and a met office weather warning has been in place across some southern parts of the uk. our correspondent ellie price has the latest. when weather alerts are issued warning of a risk to life, this is what they mean.
both their surroundings and their sense of safety. rescue efforts are continuing today, because we know that there at least two towns which appear to have been cut off completely by road. in the city of wajima, which we have been trying to get to, there have been more than 100 reports of people trapped in their homes, and not all of those homes have managed to be searched yet. in another town on the coast, the mayor have said about 90% of homes have either been totally or partially destroyed, so rescue teams are being flown into these areas by helicopter and brought in by sea, as is food. but the prime minister has admitted that progress has been slow, hampered by these roads, and that more deaths are expected as