Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani pledge to donate $1 million toward earthquake relief efforts in Japan
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Dodgers and newly signed two-way star Shohei Ohtani are making a large donation towards earthquake relief efforts in Japan.
Both are pledging one-million dollars to support those affected by the 7.6 magnitude quake.
Ohtani also announced aid for the Noto area in his native Japan, though he did not disclose the amount.
Despite rescue efforts, on Friday the death toll from the series of powerful quakes grew to at least 94 people, and the number of missing was lowered to 222 after it shot up the previous day.
A 7.6 magnitude earthquake was among those that rattled Japan's western coast on Monday.
The Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo found that the sandy coastline in western Japan shifted by up to 250 meters (820 feet) seaward in some places.
The earthquakes set off a large fire in the town of Wajima, as well as tsunamis and landslides in the region. With some routes cut off by the destruction, worries grew about communities in which water, food, blankets and medicine had yet to arrive.
The United States announced $100,000 in aid Friday, including blankets, water and medical supplies, and promised more help would come.
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Dozens of aftershocks have rattled Ishikawa and the neighboring region in the past week. Japan, with its crisscrossing fault lines, is an extremely quake-prone nation. Weather forecasts called for rain and snow over the weekend, and experts warned of more aftershocks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
