Woman requests assistance, 547 to be repatriated after Japan quake: MOFA

Taipei, Jan. 2 (CNA) Taiwan's representative office in Osaka is assisting one Taiwanese national who requested help after her home lost electricity and water in the wake of a magnitude 7.6 earthquake that hit central Japan on Monday afternoon, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday.

MOFA spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) told reporters that the national is a young woman who phoned the Osaka office after deciding to move to a government-established shelter following the earthquake that struck at 4:10 p.m. Monday at a depth of 10 kilometers on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture.

Liu did not say where the woman lived but said she had asked office staff to keep her updated so she would be able to return home as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, a total of 18 Taiwanese tour groups comprised of 547 tourists visiting affected areas were expected to return to Taiwan on Tuesday afternoon, while 21 independent travelers decided to continue with their trips.

The earthquake that triggered tsunami warnings in Japan and nearby countries has left 30 people dead as of 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

Aside from the one Taiwanese person who asked for assistance, Liu confirmed the Osaka office had not yet received any other emergency requests.

MOFA called on Taiwanese currently in Japan to contact Taiwan's main representative office in Tokyo at +81-80-1009-7179 or its Osaka branch office at +81-90-8794-4568 if they need any assistance.

Liu added that Taiwan's National Fire Agency international search and rescue team is on standby and ready to assist the recovery effort in any way it can.