Stock Photo - Jun. 22, 1964 - Japanese earthquake disaster: The city of Nigata was reduced to a blazing shambles by the earthquake which struck last Tuesday, isolating it from the rest of Japan, as railway lines buckled and the runway of the airport partly disappeared. Now there is no water, electricity or sewerage, and thousands are homeless. The port of Nigata, one of the principal oil refining cities, suffered a double catastrophy as oil tanks burst spreading blazing oil over hundreds of houses nearby, destroying 291 of them. The 90 oil tanks which went up in flames contained 400,000 kilolitres. So far 25 persons are known to have died, and several hundred were injured. Nearly 2,000 houses were destroyed, 30 being washed away in the tidal wave that followed the earthquake, and more than 14,000 homes are flooded. Photo shows men of the Japan Defence Force who were rushed to Nigata, dig out cars from the silt left by the tidal wave, to clear the street for fine engines. (Credit Image: © Keystone Press Agency/Keystone USA via ZUMAPRESS.com)