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Families Sleep in Cars After Homes Destroyed in Japan Earthquake

A 6.8 magnitude earthquake in southwestern Japan has forced residents to seek shelter in their vehicles.

Jul 31, 2026, 5:58 AM Al Jazeera

Satellite image of Japan in May 2003. The islands of Japan are shown clearly off the coast of North and South Korea, China, and Russia in this true-color image. Running down through the islands are a string of mountains that make up part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire." The Ring of Fire is a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that stretches in a series of arcs from New Zealand, through Indonesia, up through the Philippines, Japan, the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka Peninsula (Russia), across the Pacific Ocean via the Aleutian Islands, and down the coast of the Americas. Seventy-five percent of the world's volcanoes are in this ring, making it the most volcanically-active region on the planet. Also shown in this image are a number of fires, which are marked with red dots. A few fires were detected in Japan, China, and North Korea, but the majority were detected in Russia's Primorskiy-Kray region. This true-color Aqua MODIS image was acquired on May 1, 2003. · Photo by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC · Public domain · Source: wikimedia

On Friday, July 31st, 2026, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Japan, causing significant damage to homes in the region. As a result, many families have been compelled to sleep in their cars due to the destruction of their residences and the need for immediate shelter.

This situation highlights the ongoing challenges faced by residents in the earthquake-affected areas as they cope with the aftermath of the natural disaster.

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🇶🇦 Al Jazeera · Qatar · Doha

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