Twitch Streamer's Live Capture of Terrifying Japan Earthquake
A firsthand account of a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in Japan captured by a Twitch streamer's live feed.
The Unsettling Moment
In an unexpected turn of events, a Twitch streamer's live feed inadvertently became a firsthand account of a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck the coast of central Japan on New Year's Day. The streamer, engrossed in her Just Chatting session on the Amazon-owned live-streaming platform Twitch, unintentionally captured the unsettling moment when the ground started to shake intensely.
In this age of live-streaming, it comes as no surprise that various unforeseen incidents, ranging from accidents to robberies and even earthquakes, are frequently caught on camera. A notable precedent unfolded in 2019 when Shroud, a renowned Twitch streamer, had his Apex Legends match abruptly interrupted by an earthquake. Despite concerned viewers urging him to seek shelter, Shroud chose to persevere with his game. Another incident unfolded in 2020 during a live stream featuring a Croatian Twitch content creator and professional League of Legends player, Perkz, whose broadcast was also disrupted by an earthquake. Following the earthquake experience, he halted his game and ceased streaming, citing difficulties in maintaining focus.
Shiori's Live Broadcast
On January 1, a massive earthquake shook Japan's western coast, leading to the documentation of another earthquake-related incident on a Twitch stream. The incident was captured by Japanese content creator Shiori, who was broadcasting from Niigata, Japan. Shiori's stream took an unexpected turn when her mobile device flashed an earthquake alert. Reacting swiftly, she exclaimed, 'Oh my god, it’s big!' Sensing the gravity of the situation, Shiori hurriedly abandoned her streaming setup, rushing outside. As Shiori fled, the viewers observed the room visibly trembling, swaying to the unsettling sounds of rumbling and items crashing from shelves.
The alarming scene unfolded for approximately two minutes, leaving the audience stunned, and the chat section flooded with concerned comments. After the unsettling episode, Shiori returned to her streaming setup, calming her worried viewers by assuring them that she and her family were unharmed but preparing for a potential evacuation.
Impact and Relief Efforts
While the magnitude of this earthquake may not equate to the extensive damage caused by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria earlier in 2023, where over 50,000 casualties were reported, it is worth noting the similarity in terms of the Richter scale. CNN has reported at least 48 casualties in the aftermath of this recent seismic event in Japan.
It's also worth mentioning that following the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, many prominent streamers were seen raising funds for earthquake relief efforts. Popular streamer Hasan Piker's community raised over $1 million for earthquake relief, while Mizkif raised over $80,000.
