「あの日の教訓伝える」　益城町主催で３年ぶりの追悼式、復興誓う―熊本地震５年

　２０１６年の熊本地震で２度の震度７の揺れに襲われた熊本県益城町で１１日、町主催の追悼式が３年ぶりに開かれた。前震から１４日で５年。参列した遺族らは「あの時の経験と教訓を無駄にしてはならない」などと、犠牲者の冥福を祈るとともに早期の復興を誓った。
　式典では全員で１分間の黙とうをささげた後、２度目の震度７の揺れで祖父母を亡くした長石美輪さん（４１）が遺族を代表してあいさつ。「熊本地震を知らない世代や県内外の方々に伝え、災害に対する備えに取り組むことが大切だ」などと追悼の言葉を述べた。
　西村博則町長は「住まいを再建できず、仮設住宅などでの生活を余儀なくされている方々もいる。引き続き最後の１人まで、しっかりと寄り添っていく」などと誓った。（2021/04/11-15:17）

The Kumamoto Prefecture town of Mashiki held a memorial ceremony Sunday for those who perished in huge earthquakes that struck the southwestern Japan prefecture five years ago.
   It was the first Mashiki-sponsored memorial over the 2016 temblors in three years. There was no such event in the past two years because restoration work for the venue had not finished.
   "Our experiences and the lesson learned through the disaster must not be wasted," said a bereaved family member who participated in the day's ceremony.
   In 2016, Kumamoto was hit by a powerful foreshock April 14, followed by the main quake April 16. Both recorded the maximum intensity of 7 on the Japanese seismic scale in Mashiki.
   In the ceremony, all participants observed a minute of silent prayer. It was followed by a speech by Miwa Nagaishi, 41, who lost a grandfather and a grandmother in the main quake.