Playback ’95] Picking Up the Bones from the Burnt Ruins…People in Kobe Begin to Rise from the Grief of the Great Hanshin Earthquake

What did “FRIDAY” report 10, 20, and 30 years ago? Playback Friday” takes a look back at the topics that were hot at the time. This time, we will introduce “Aftershocks Still Hanshin Earthquake” from the February 10, 1995 issue, and “Gambare Survivors! 　 Kobe Children Will Not Lose” from the February 10, 1995 issue.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake occurred in the early morning of Tuesday, January 17, 1995. FRIDAY, which had a deadline on that day, hurriedly changed its pages and reported the first news in the February 3 issue (released on January 20), and the articles that could not be reported in the magazine at that time were reported in the February 7 extra issue. The following is an overview of the situation in Kobe since then (descriptions in parentheses are quotes from past articles; all ages are those of the time). All ages are those of the time).

People digging for remains in the ruins

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 7.3 magnitude struck in 1995, killing 6,434 people and completely destroying some 250,000 buildings. The sight of tilted and collapsed buildings and roads that caved in or rose up in the air seemed unreal, and the reporters who covered the area thought that Kobe would never be able to recover. However, as they walked through the rubble city, their impression gradually changed as time passed after the earthquake. The following are scenes from various parts of Kobe at that time.

Takatori Shopping Street, Nagata Ward

This is my mother and this is Yuka-chan. This is Miki.

A, 19, who lost her mother and two younger sisters in the earthquake in the southern part of Hyogo Prefecture, points to the ruins of the fire with tears streaming down her face. In this area, people were digging for the remains of family members here and there among the charred ruins.

When the shaking stopped, I went outside right away, but someone said, ‘There’s a fire! A neighbor’s man told the father to leave immediately, but he didn’t. “I heard a voice and said, ‘Wait for me. I heard voices and said, ‘Wait for me. My sister was asking for help, but there was nothing I could do. ……

The rest of the story was lost in words. The remains were being collected by relatives and friends, but it was sad that the pieces were so small.