How many victims were caused by the 3/11 earthquake, as opposed as the following tsunami?

I’m under the impression that the earthquake, even though it was incredibly strong, wouldn’t have caused that many victims if it wasn’t followed by the tsunami.

I haven’t seen any numbers though. Is there data available anywhere?

4 comments
  1. It’s impossible to count. Would a person trapped under building debris died if there is no Tsunami? Would rescue get to them in time before they died? All nearly impossible to answer.

    Immediate dead from earthquake is not that common in Japan — it’s fire, trapped in debris, etc that actually kill people.

    But for your data point, 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake has 273 death. 2018 Hokkaido Earthquake has 41 death. Both are Shindo 7.

  2. The tsunami is part of the earthquake, not a coincidental event. Nobody dies from the ground moving around a bit, but by the results of that.

  3. Looking at the tsunami videos, pretty much all the buildings were still standing, despite having taken the full brunt of the shaking.

    Had there not been a tsunami, the damage would still have been extensive, but I don’t believe the death toll would have been over 1,000. That’s entirely personal speculation, though.

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