'Unimaginable tragedy': Siemens executive, wife, and kids killed when helicopter crashes into Hudson River



A Bell 206 L-4 helicopter carrying six people — three children and three adults, including the pilot — crashed Thursday into the Hudson River, just off of Jersey City, New Jersey.

Footage of the incident shows the fuselage pitching backward and plummeting hundreds of feet into the cold waters below, its tail and main rotor system apparently shorn off. Moments after the helicopter crashes into the river, just missing a Jersey City pier, its rotor can be seen in the footage smashing into nearby waters.

New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch indicated that four victims were pronounced dead at the scene and two others were taken to Jersey City Medical Center, where they succumbed to their injuries. New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed that all six passengers are deceased.

According to the Telegraph, Agustín Escobar, the technology company Siemens' CEO for rail infrastructure, was aboard along with his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children, ages 4, 5, and 11. The family, visiting from Spain, were on a sightseeing trip. They chartered a helicopter with Michael Roth's tour company, New York Helicopter.

'We're all devastated.'

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and friend, Agustin Escobar, and his beloved family," Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens, said in a statement Friday. "We will miss him and his family immensely."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the accident an "unimaginable tragedy."

President Donald Trump said in response to the tragic incident, "The footage of the accident is horrendous. God bless the families and friends of the victims."

The doomed aircraft left the Downtown Skyport in Manhattan at 2:59 p.m. and crashed roughly 15 minutes later.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy indicated that the tour helicopter was in New York's Special Flight Rules Area, "which means no air traffic control services were being provided when the helicopter crashed." Before the helicopter entered the area, air traffic control from LaGuardia airport was providing assistance.

Tisch indicated that shortly after passing the George Washington Bridge, the aircraft "lost control and hit the water."

The National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating the incident.

Roth told the Telegraph, "He [the pilot] called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn't arrive."

"We're all devastated. Every employee in our company is devastated. My wife has not stopped crying," said Roth.

"I got a call from my manager and my downtown heliport and she said she heard there was a crash, and then my phone blew up from everybody," continued Roth. "Then one of my pilots flew over the Hudson and saw the helicopter upside down."

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said in a statement Thursday evening that dive operations by the NYPD and New Jersey State Police would resume Friday, as major parts of the aircraft had not yet been recovered.

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Guest sneaks out of wedding to blow up newlyweds' home; explosion displaces 11 families: 'I ran here in my wedding dress'



An Illinois man snuck out of a wedding to blow up the home of the newlyweds, and the explosion was so devastating that it displaced 11 families and killed six cats belonging to the bride, according to police.

Tom Davis and Eleni Vrettos had their wedding on Feb. 15. After the couple said "I do," they learned of the tragedy of their Cicero home being obliterated in an explosion.

'On what was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives, the Vrettos family, including newlyweds Tom Davis and Eleni Vrettos, experienced an unimaginable tragedy.'

Around 4:50 p.m. — just 10 minutes before the end of the wedding ceremony — Vrettos started getting calls about the explosion.

“We weren’t sure if it was us, obviously, either way, we were devastated to know it was near us,” Vrettos told WGN-TV. “My niece left the church. She confirmed that, yes, it was our house.”

Vrettos told WSAV-TV, "I ran here in my wedding dress, like down the alley, and was watching from a neighbor’s yard. Everything was just smoke at that point."

All of the family members who lived in the home weren't in it during the explosion because they all were at the wedding. However, Vrettos' six cats were killed.

"There was no way my babies made it out in that instant," Vrettos said. "While my first instinct was to run to the rubble to search for my angels, we obviously were told we couldn't be there, and there was nothing to be done."

The explosion and fire damaged two nearby buildings, and 11 families were displaced. Temporary housing has been provided to all of the families.

Surveillance cameras from nearby homes and businesses caught the moment the house exploded. The cameras also captured suspicious happenings just before the explosion.

The day after the explosion, a dead body was found in the rubble.

On Saturday, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office identified the man as 31-year-old Anthony Avila-Puebla.

Investigators said Avila-Puebla was a guest at the wedding but snuck out at some point.

Surveillance video reportedly shows Avila-Puebla parking his car a half-block from the house. Avila-Puebla allegedly is seen in the video carrying jugs of flammable liquid to the house. He reportedly made two more trips to his vehicle to retrieve more jugs.

Police said he set fire to the two-story house but never came back outside.

Detectives reportedly discovered that Avila-Puebla had a relationship with one of the people who lived in the home and was at the ceremony.

Police said the motive behind the explosion is still unclear, and an investigation is ongoing.

'I truly have no idea what we are going to do when it comes to the near future because there is so much at play with the unknown.'

The house had been Vrettos' childhood home, and she recently moved back into it with her husband to start their new life.

"The building belonged to my family for almost 40 years. Yeah, I grew up here, so I live, lived here, and I work in the community. And I mean, Cicero is all I really know," Vrettos told WLS-TV.

Vrettos and her brother recently took ownership of the home after it had been in their mother's name.

The pair was planning to help make renovations on the home, including repairing some "long overdue" issues.

What's more, the brother and sister were in the process of transferring home insurance and did not have coverage at the time of the explosion and fire.

"Recently, my brother and I had transferred the home ownership from our mom to us, and we had not yet secured home insurance. Call it irresponsible if you will and shame us for that mistake, but we can’t undo our error," Vrettos explained. "I truly have no idea what we are going to do when it comes to the near future because there is so much at play with the unknown."

A GoFundMe campaign recently was launched to help the couple rebuild the home.

"On what was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives, the Vrettos family, including newlyweds Tom Davis and Eleni Vrettos, experienced an unimaginable tragedy," the campaign description on the crowdfunding site reads. "While celebrating Tom and Eleni’s wedding ceremony, their home in Cicero, Illinois, was completely destroyed in a devastating fire."

"This home was more than just a house — it was where Eleni grew up, where she and Tom had moved in to start their new life together, and where the family had built countless memories over the years," the campaign states. "Now, they have lost everything — their belongings, their keepsakes, and the place they called home."

The GoFundMe says they "have no coverage to help them recover from this devastating loss."

At the time of publication, the GoFundMe had raised nearly $60,000.

WLS-TV covered the explosion on a recent newscast.

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DC authorities suspect no survivors of deadly midair collision; haunting air traffic control audio released



A PSA Airlines plane operating an American Airlines flight collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday evening. After generating a large fireball over the Potomac River, the remains of both aircraft dropped into the frigid waters.

As authorities do not expect to find any survivors amid the ice and debris, rescue efforts have given way to recovery efforts.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which has launched a joint investigation into the deadly incident with the National Transportation Safety Board, confirmed that American Eagle Flight 5342 en route from Wichita, Kansas, a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet, collided midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to runway 33 at the airport just before 8:50 p.m. local time.

There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board Flight 5342. Three service members were aboard the helicopter, which the Pentagon indicated was out of Ford Belvoir, Virginia.

'Tower, did you see that?'

Flight surveillance data indicated that the helicopter, apparently on a training flight, was heading south along the District side of the river prior to the collision, reported the Washington Post. The plane was several hundred feet above the water when it came into contact with the Army helicopter.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy indicated during a press conference Thursday morning that the helicopter and the plane were both in a "standard flight pattern" and that based on what he has seen so far, the collision was "absolutely" preventable.

Air traffic control audio has emerged capturing the final communications between the tower and the doomed helicopter as well as observers' reactions in the immediate aftermath.

In one clip released on LiveATC.net, a repository of of air traffic audio recordings, an air traffic controller can be heard saying around the 17:30-minute mark, "PAT25, do you have CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ."

The aviator in another aircraft can be heard chiming in moments later, "Tower, did you see that?"

An air traffic controller proceeded to direct planes to circumnavigate runway 33.

'This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented.'

At the time of the collision, one air traffic controller can reportedly be heard in a recording saying, "Crash, crash, crash, this is an alert three."

In another clip, an air traffic controller states, "Both the helicopter and the plane crashed into the river. It's east of the approach end of runway 33," later adding, "All runways are closed. Nobody's landing. No one is moving at all."

"I just saw a fireball, and then it was just gone," continued the air traffic controller. "I haven't seen anything since they hit the river, but it was a CRJ and a helicopter that hit. I would say maybe a half-mile off the approach end of 33."

"We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation," D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said at the Thursday press conference. "We don't believe there are any survivors from this accident."

Donnelly noted that the bodies of 27 people from the plane and one person from the helicopter have been recovered so far.

U.S. Figure Skating told the Post that several members of its skating community were aboard the commercial airliner when it crashed. The likely victims, including athletes, coaches, and family members, were on their way home from the National Development Camp held in Wichita in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts," said the statement.

President Donald Trump responded to the crash just after midnight, suggesting that something about the incident did not compute.

"The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn't the helicopter go up or down, or turn[?]" the president wrote on Truth Social. "Why didn't the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane[?] This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!"

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Father uses app to track down teen daughters only to see their tragic fate in person: 'It's just unreal'



A father in New York state is sharing the heartbreaking account of how he learned of the tragic deaths of his two teenage daughters after using an app to track their location.

Hailey Trumble, 19, and Shelby Trumble, 17, went to the Seabreeze Amusement Park in Rochester, New York, on Aug. 1.

'It's just unreal. ... I still can't come to terms with it.'

Before the teens left the home, their father gave them $100 for the amusement park and told them he loved them, and to "have fun and behave," according to People magazine.

Brian Trumble, 45, said of the talk with his daughters earlier that morning, "Of course, they were adults. They didn't need to be told to be behaved, but this is what I always tell them."

Trumble had no idea that it would be their final face-to-face conversation.

After spending the day at the amusement park with Trumble's girlfriend, the sisters returned to her home before going back out again late that afternoon.

When a text to his daughters received no reply, Trumble used the Find My Friends app to determine their location. He saw that they had not moved from a point on a local road in the nearby town of Cato, approximately 3 miles away.

As Trumble neared the location, a police officer blocking the way stopped him, informing him that there had been a terrible car accident in which a girl had died.

"I just sat on my bumper and I couldn't stand up," Trumble recalled of the gut-wrenching moment.

Josh Lovejoy, one of the firemen at the scene of the fatal car crash, told Trumble that he stayed with Hailey right until the end.

The distraught father soon learned that Shelby also succumbed to her injuries from the deadly car accident.

The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office said in a press release that the girls were driving eastbound in their 2005 Chevy Cobalt when the "vehicle crested a hill and crossed into the opposite lane, striking a second vehicle."

The Cobalt smashed into a 2016 Jeep Cherokee being driven by a 59-year-old woman. She was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries and was said to be in stable condition, according to police.

Trumble believes his daughters were unfamiliar with the road, which he described as being "hilly" and winding.

Since his daughters' tragic deaths, the family has "been holding on to each other and just coping and trying to deal," said Trumble.

"It's just unreal," he added. "I still can't come to terms with it."

Trumble said the knowledge that Hailey and Shelby would be cremated and interred "so they'll always be together" gave him some peace.

As does telling the world about his girls, who he said were both "simple country girls" at heart.

"I want people to know their story," he said. "They were sweet and beautiful and just lovely."

"They touched so many people," Trumble continued. "Everybody that met them just loved them ... They were pretty much just figuring out what they were wanting to do."

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to assist the family in paying for the funerals. At the time of publication, it had raised over $46,000.

A funeral service for Hailey and Shelby will be held Aug. 10 at Traub Funeral Home in Central Square, New York.

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Cargo ship rams into major Baltimore bridge, causing total collapse



Early Tuesday morning, a Singapore-flagged container ship called the Dali rammed into one of the piers holding up Francis Scott Key Bridge, a steel arch-shaped truss bridge extending Interstate 695 some 1,200 feet over the Baltimore Harbor. Upon impact, the bridge came toppling down — along with those vehicles on the compromised segments.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman indicated the bridge has "totally collapsed" and that rescue teams are on site.

So far, there have been no reports of casualties.

Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace indicated that two people were pulled from the waters, one of whom was in serious condition, reported the Associated Press.

Wallace noted that authorities "may be looking for upwards of seven people."

The fire department reportedly employed sonar to detect vehicles that plunged into the depths.

A livestream captured the precise moment the 984-foot vessel crashed into the bridge, timestamped at 1:28 a.m.. The ship can be seen smashing into one of the piers on its way out of the port, triggering a chain reaction.

Minutes earlier, the lights aboard the ship appear to flicker, suggestive of a possible electronic malfunction.

The 9-year-old ship was on its way to Colombo, Sri Lanka, according to VesselFinder.

BREAKING: Ship collides with Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse
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A photo from the tragedy at the Francis Scott Key Bridge. \n\n*Double checked, actual photo of cargo ship. #francisscottkeybridge \n\nAwaiting press conference around 7amET\u2026.
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Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) declared a state of emergency and indicated the state is working with an inter-agency team to deploy federal resources.

Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, called the incident a "dire emergency" and expressed concerns earlier in the morning that the collapse may amount to a "developing mass casualty event."

The remains of both the collapsed bridge and the ship's cargo may hinder traffic into and out of the port, the second-busiest port in the mid-Atlantic. This could prove greatly consequential for trade and commerce.

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\ud83d\udea8#BREAKING: Morning Daylight reveals the aftermath of the mass casualty event of the Scott Key Bridge collapse\n\n\ud83d\udccc#Baltimore | #Maryland\n\nWatch As morning daylight approaches, it reveals the devastating aftermath of an early morning incident after a large cargo ship from\u2026
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Synergy Marine Group, the outfit that owns and manages the vessel, reportedly confirmed that the ship collided with the bridge while in control of two pilots. The crew suffered no fatalities or injuries.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley indicated there is "absolutely no indication" that the Dali rammed into the bridge intentionally.

An unclassified Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency report noted that the Dali "lost propulsion" while leaving port and that the pilots alerted officials to their loss of control, reported ABC News.

The Maryland Transportation Authority noted that alternate routes across the harbor are the I-95 or I-895 tunnels. Vehicles transporting hazardous materials are barred from using the tunnels and must use the western section of I-695 around the tunnels, according to the MDTA.

Brandon Scott, Baltimore's Democratic mayor, said, "This is a tragedy that you can never imagine," adding that the collapse "looked like something out of an action movie."

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North Carolina mother charged in death of her infant — who died the same way her previous baby did a year earlier



Police have charged a 24-year-old North Carolina woman in connection to the death of her newborn baby — apparently, the second infant to have perished under her watch and weight inside a two-year window.

The Wilmington Police Department indicated that officers responded in the early hours of Oct. 3, 2023, to the 800 block of Castle Street following a report of an unconscious baby who had stopped breathing. First responders were reportedly unable to revive the 7-week-old child, whose name was Zhen.

Investigators discovered that Mackenzie Katlyn Reed had been sleeping next to Zhen "and during the night she suffocated her child."

The Wilmington StarNews reported that the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Zhen's cause of death as "asphyxia due to unsafe sleep environment." The common cold was listed as an additional factor.

According an investigative report obtained by StarNews, the boy had been sleeping in a queen size bed with both parents and his twin. The autopsy indicated he was ultimately found "prone ... with (his) face in (a) blanket," and had suffered "petechial hemorrhages of epicardium, pleural surfaces, diaphragm and thymus" with swelling in his brain and lungs.

The mother had allegedly been "smoking THC and using THC gummies during the [previous] day and evening."

The investigator's report indicated Reed fell asleep after feeding the child around midnight. Zhen had been on her left side at the time. When the father awoke to find the child, he was on Reed's right side.

According to the police report, the mother said "she could not believe that 'she had done this a second time,'" referencing the death of her 3-month-old baby boy in 2022.

Police indicated Reed "had another child who died that she had been co-sleeping with as well."

A spokesman for the New Hanover County District Attorney's Office told WECT-TV that Reed was not charged for the baby's death in 2022 "because it was determined there was not enough evidence to prosecute."

Following Zhen's death in October, police launched an investigation. The WPD finally obtained warrants for Reed's arrest on March 6 then took her into custody.

Reed has been charged with felony child abuse resulting in serious injury; involuntary manslaughter; and child abuse/neglect resulting in serious physical injury.

"These charges come as a result of an in-depth investigation and hard work by the Wilmington Police Department Special Victims Unit in conjunction with the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office," the WPD stated in a release.

As of last week, Reed was being held under a $500,000 secured bond.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, roughly 3,500 infants die every year from sleep-related infant deaths, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), ill-defined deaths, and accidental suffocation and strangulation.

The AAP recommends "a safe sleep environment to reduce the risk of all sleep-related deaths. This includes supine positioning; use of a firm noninclined sleep surface; room sharing without bed sharing; and avoidance of soft bedding and overheating."

In addition to cautioning against bed sharing, the AAP suggests SIDS risk can be lowered by parents avoiding exposure to nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, opioids, and illicit drugs.

The AAP noted further that studies have shown bed sharing exposes children to various risk factors for SIDS as well as "to additional risks for unintentional injury and death, such as suffocation, asphyxia, entrapment, falls, and strangulation. Infants younger than 4 months and those born preterm and/or with low birth weight are at highest risk."

Pediatrician Heidi Szugye told the Cleveland Clinic that the risk of a sleep-related infant death while bed sharing is five to 10 times higher in the early stages of life.

"Bed sharing is connected to SIDS. There's no question about it," said Szugye. "We don't recommend it for babies of any age."

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Father witnesses children electrocuted to death as power line falls on car, baby survives freak accident: 'It just hurts'



Three people were electrocuted to death when a power line fell on a car in Portland, Oregon. A baby being held by his father somehow survived the freak accident.

Around 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday, emergency crews responded to 911 calls about a person on fire in a street in Northeast Portland.

The family’s neighbor, who witnessed the tragic scene, said a man was unloading his 9-month-old baby from the family's SUV when a branch broke because of an ice storm. The falling tree branch caused a power line to smash into the vehicle.

KPTV reported, "The fallen line sparked a small fire under or near the car, and the baby’s mother yelled for the man to get her child back out of the car and to safety. As the father did so, he slipped on the ice and fell, his feet hitting the live power line. The toddler’s mother ran to help them, and she too slipped and fell, hitting the line. Where they touched the line, smoke began to rise."

Portland Fire and Rescue members found the bodies of three people lying in the street approximately 35 feet away from the vehicle, according to KTVL.

Emergency crews attempted to perform life-saving procedures on the individuals, but they all died.

A power line was draped over the hood of the full-sized SUV with a large branch on the top of the power line.

Rick Graves of Portland Fire and Rescue explained, "The vehicle was electrified, so when they touched the ground and the vehicle, the electrical current ran through them, and the end result is we have three deceased individuals."

The baby's mother was killed in the freak accident, and the 21-year-old mom was six months pregnant at the time of her death. The mother's 15-year-old brother — Ta’Ron Briggs — also died. The mother's boyfriend — who was the father of the infant — also passed away.

Ronald Briggs — the father of Ta’Ron and the young mother — said he and his wife were headed to the grocery store when they heard a loud sound.

"We heard a loud boom. And my wife’s like, 'Oh my god, their car is on fire,'" Briggs told KGW.

Briggs explained, "They were walking up the hill and they slid back down. My daughter tried to grab her boyfriend, her baby's dad with the baby, and his foot touched the wire."

Ta’Ron allegedly slid from the ice and touched water — which electrocuted him to death as well.

Briggs said, "It just hurts. Seeing my kids dying — I can’t do nothing about it."

"I have six kids, I lost two of them in one day," the grieving father added.

A neighbor, Majiah Washington, rushed to save the baby — who was still in the arms of the father.

"In my mind, I’m just thinking 'I have to get this baby.' That’s the only thing I was thinking: 'I have to get this baby,'" Washington recalled.

The 9-month-old was rushed to a local hospital and is said to be in good condition.

Briggs stated, "His dad saved his life — he laid on top of his dad."

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Portland family devastated after 3 die in tragic downed power-line accident www.youtube.com

Terrifying videos capture moment Japan was hit by lethal 7.6 magnitude earthquake



Japan rang in the new year with tsunami alarms after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake rocked the country's west coast Monday afternoon. Even though the colossal waves never came, the destruction on the Noto Peninsula in the central prefecture of Ishikawa was nevertheless extensive.

Scores of lives have been confirmed lost. Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to smoldering rubble. Thousands on the Noto Peninsula proceed into 2024 homeless.

Despite the enduring aftershocks affecting the region, efforts are now underway to locate additional survivors in the ruins.

The Japanese office overseeing disaster prevention indicated Monday that a 7.6-magnitude earthquake centered in Noto shook the western coast. The Japan Meteorological Agency assigned the quake a seismic intensity rating of seven — the highest possible.

The U.S. Geological Survey indicated that the primary quake was the most powerful the west coast had seen since 1970.

As 2024 begins, our \xf0\x9f\x92\x94s go out to those affected by Japan\xe2\x80\x99s M7.5 quake. Despite Japan\xe2\x80\x99s active plate boundaries, large quakes on the west coast of Honshu are rarer than the east coast. Since 1970, no M7+ quakes are on record within 155 mi/250 km of today\xe2\x80\x99s quake.
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The quake was preceded by a report of a similarly strong tremor in the area and has been followed since by dozens of lesser quakes in the area of magnitudes of up to 5.7 on the Richter scale. The JMA suggested that sporadic aftershocks nearly as strong as the initial quake could strike for up to a week.

Officials advised residents to evacuate "to even higher ground wherever possible" and to expect high and repeated tsunami waves. While waves as high as four feet were reported following the quake, the region was spared the kind of behemothic waves Japan suffered following the March 2011 8.9-magnitude quake in the country's northeast.

While the JMA has downgraded its tsunami alerts to advisories, the agency continues to stress the importance of exercising caution near or around the coast.

Footage captured by a motorist in one of the affected areas shows a river slosh side to side as the earth around it quakes.

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Another video shows a subway station tremble as commuters brace for the worst.

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Effect of the earthquake that hit Central Japan today: roads cracking and pavements rising.\n\n[\xf0\x9f\x93\xb9 mmmin726]
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Drone footage documenting the aftermath in Wajima City, Japan, obtained by Reuters, shows smoldering ruins, flattened neighborhoods, beached boats, and toppled multi-story buildings.

Aerial images reveal the extent of the destruction caused by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck central Japan on Monday https://t.co/keiE0EocsV
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While the Asian nation's infrastructure is largely built to withstand the earthquakes common around the seismically-active Pacific Ring of Fire, tens of thousands of homes were nevertheless destroyed by the quake, which also shut down water, cell phone service, and power in various areas.

Authorities in the devastated city of Wajima, seen in the drone footage, received reports of at least 30 collapsed buildings and noted firefighters had battled blazes well into the night.

As of Tuesday, officials confirmed at least 48 people were dead and 16 were seriously injured in Ishikawa, reported the Associated Press.

The Japanese government indicated Monday evening that it had ordered over 97,000 people in nine prefectures on the west coast to evacuate, reported Reuters.

According to the New York Times, Japan's Nuclear Regulatory Agency indicated that while a fire had broken out in a transformer at the Shika power plant in Shikawa, there were no signs of abnormalities at its radioactivity monitoring stations.

The Shika plant had shut down its two reactors prior to the quake for regular inspections.

Various governments around the world expressed their sympathies and support for the Japanese people.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel wrote, "We are saddened to see the damage caused by the earthquake that occurred this afternoon near Ishikawa, Japan. Our thoughts are with those who have been impacted across the region."

Emanuel further indicated that the U.S. government and American military in Japan have offered their full support and are ready to provide aid to the affected communities.

President Joe Biden said in a statement, "As close Allies, the United States and Japan share a deep bond of friendship that unites our people. Our thoughts are with the Japanese people during this difficult time."

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Kate Cox’s Baby Deserved A Name

We should never end the life of a newborn as a mercy.

Biden’s Lazy Response To Catastrophes Like Hawaii Fire Proves He Is A Liability

Biden’s Maui visit shows Americans that he doesn’t just deliberately neglect them, but he also scoffs at their suffering.