Japan Warns Potential Megaquake Could Kill Nearly 300,000

A long-feared megaquake off Japan’s southern coast could result in almost 300,000 deaths, according to a new model released by the government.

In the worst-case scenario, a megaquake in the Nankai Trough would destroy 2.34 million buildings and kill 298,000 people, a Cabinet Office panel said in a report Monday. There’s an 80% chance of such a quake occurring within 30 years, according to a government estimate from January.