JAPAN
A magnitude 6.5 and 7.3 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture, in southern Japan, on 14 and 16 April. As of 18 April, 12:00 p.m. local time (GMT+9), authorities confirmed 42 deaths, 1,095 injuries and 11 people are still missing. Some 112,100 people remain in 1,021 evacuation centres in Kumamoto, Oita, Fukuoka, Miyazaki and Nagasaki prefectures – the majority of the affected are in Kumamoto. Aftershocks continue to be felt in the affected areas.
Search and rescue and relief distributions are ongoing to reach the affected communities. On 17 April, the Government accepted an offer by the United States military to support the air transport of relief goods and evacuees. No additional request for international assistance has been made.
42 people killed
PHILIPPINES
Approximately 42 per cent of the country is affected by El Niño-induced drought and dry spells, particularly in Visayas and Mindanao. Since January, the food security and livelihood of 181,700 farmers have been severely impacted by the ongoing drought. The Government has released US$27.6 million for food assistance and cash-for-work programmes to 5.8 million people nationwide. They have also released US$11.3 million support agriculture in drought-affected areas. Members of the Humanitarian Country Team are supporting the Government's response through field assessments, food distribution and technical support to local authorities.
5.8 million people affected by drought
MYANMAR & BANGLADESH
On 13 April at 8:27 p.m. local time (GMT+6:30), a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck Sagaing region in north-western Myanmar. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 135 kms in a sparsely populated area. The earthquake was also felt across the region in parts of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and China. No fatalities were reported in Myanmar.
In Bangladesh, three people died and 62 injured as people rushed out of buildings.
The tremors also caused panic and temporary evacuations in Biratnagar and other towns in the Eastern Region of Nepal.
3 people killed
FIJI
Since 15 April, heavy rainfall from a tropical depression caused flooding on Fiji's northern island of Vanua Levu. From 4 to 8 April, flooding also left much of Nadi, the country’s main tourist gateway, and cyclone-affected areas around Rakiraki underwater. The series of floods have compounded the hardship of communities still recovering from Tropical Cyclone Winston which left 11,500 households without ‘core shelter.’ Flood waters have also washed way thousands of seeds and seedlings planted after Winston, increasing the risk of food insecurity.