More than 20 independent tourists and 547 tour group participants remain in areas affected by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake that struck western Japan on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on Tuesday morning.
Rescuers in the worst-hit Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture are still working to reach isolated areas after the quake downed buildings and brought tsunami waves to the west coast.
Kyodo news agency is reporting more than 20 deaths thus far, while many rail, ferry and flight services remain suspended.
Photo: Kyodo News via AP
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Osaka has reported a total of 18 tour groups still in the disaster area with 547 people, the ministry said in a news release.
Everyone is safe and the office is ready to provide all necessary assistance, it said.
More than 20 independent travelers are stranded after their Tigerair Taiwan flight from Niigata Airport on Monday was canceled, the ministry said, adding that representatives in Japan are assisting the airline with providing blankets and other cold-weather gear to the travelers.
After the road to the airport reopens, officials are to go help the travelers in transferring to airports in Tokyo, it said.
The ministry said it is keeping in close contact with Japanese authorities as the situation unfolds, and would share updates as they come in.
Taiwanese in Japan needing assistance are advised to contact the representative office emergency line at +81-80-1009-7179 or the Osaka office emergency line at +81-90-8794-4568.
The National Fire Agency has completed preparations to send emergency response crews to Japan at any time, the ministry said, adding that it has already informed the Japanese authorities.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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