27 Maltese in Japan reported unharmed

Twenty-seven Maltese nationals in quake-hit Japan – 20 resident there and the other seven on holiday – have been contacted by the authorities and are all unharmed.

These are the Maltese nationals the Foreign Affairs Ministry is aware of and it cannot be excluded there could be more.

Among those contacted is Mark Micallef, who has been living in Japan for 23 years, but, fortunately for him, not on the north-eastern coast, which was practically wiped out by an earthquake of record magnitude for the country and a devastating, 10-metre high tsunami on Friday.

Mr Micallef, head of a research institute for veterinary medicine, lives with his wife and three children in the Ibaraki Prefecture, which lies between Tokyo and the Fukushima atomic plant that blew up on Saturday, sparking health fears.

Despite the massive 8.9-magnitude quake and tsunami, estimated to have left more than 1,000 dead and at least 10,000 unaccounted for, forcing 170,000 to evacuate, Mr Micallef only experienced “stronger tremors” than usual – they are frequent in Japan. The result was a power cut and they have been without water since. “There are also long queues for fuel,” he said of the after effects of the quake, which has been described as an “unprecedented national disaster”.

In quake-hit areas, 5.6 million households had no power and more than one million were without water.

In the area where Mr Micallef lives, about 70 kilometres north of Tokyo, the buildings were still standing but there were 17 fatalities and a bridge collapsed.

“Apart from general anxiety, our main fear is the possibility of strong aftershocks,” he said, quoting a 70-per-cent possibility these could reach magnitude 7. Depending on the epicentre, they could cause another tsunami, he said.

“I do not think all the damage to the buildings has been assessed and they could be completely destroyed in the case of an aftershock,” he said, adding he had not been out and about to see for himself.

As for his state of mind, Mr Micallef said that, like everyone else, he was hoping the situation would settle down.

The raging tsunami picked up containers, cars and the debris of shattered homes. As many as 10,000 people – half its population – are unaccounted for in the Japanese port town of Minamisanriku, about 300 kilometres from the capital, which bore the brunt.

The tsunami also crashed through the streets of Sendai and across open fields, forming a mud slick that covered vast tracts of land.

Jason Briffa, 25, an Australian of Maltese descent from Melbourne who works as an English language teacher in Sendai, was reported missing, Australia’s ABC news reported. However, according to Google Person Finder: 2011 Japan Earthquake, a Jason Briffa from Sendai, Miyagi, is listed as alive and staying with friends.

His family said they were unable to contact him. Mr Briffa’s sister, Melissa, said waiting for news was agonising and his aunt, Carmen Bonello, wanted access to the list of the Australians found.

Mr Briffa’s name is not on the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s list because it was never informed he resided in Japan or was going there on holiday. Japan is a no-visa country, so the ministry has to be specifically informed in order to know about Maltese nationals being there.

A spokesman took the opportunity to encourage people travelling to countries it was not that common to visit to drop an e-mail to the respective Maltese embassies, saying it would “make matters easier” in such eventualities.