A powerful earthquake that has a high probability of occurring beneath Tokyo and nearby areas within the next few decades could kill up to 18,000 people, with two-thirds of the estimated deaths caused by fires, a government panel showed Friday.But the latest estimate, made on the basis of a magnitude 7.3 quake hitting the metropolitan area, is 5,000 lower than the previous calculation in 2013, reflecting an increase in seismic-prepared buildings and fire prevention measures in densely packed districts with many wooden houses.For comparison, there were 15,900 deaths related to the magnitude …READ FULL ARTICLE
