From Tokyo's NHK, April 1:
Japan's mega-quake death toll estimated at about 300,000 in worst-case scenario
A government panel has revised its damage estimate for an anticipated mega-quake in the Nankai Trough off Japan's Pacific coast. It predicts that an earthquake of up to magnitude 9 will claim about 298,000 lives. Seismologists say there is a roughly 80 percent chance of such a quake occurring in the next 30 years. What does the worst-case scenario look like?
The panel now estimates that the seismic intensity would reach the maximum of 7 on the Japanese scale in 10 prefectures, and lower 6 or above in 24 prefectures.
It also says tsunamis at least 10 meters high could hit Tokyo and 12 other prefectures from the Kanto through Kyushu regions. Some areas could be hit by waves higher than 30 meters.
Bracing for the worst
The panel predicts a worst-case death toll of 298,000 if the earthquake occurs late at night in winter. That's slightly down from the previous figure published a decade ago. The highest number of deaths is expected to be caused by tsunami....
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