What was the major cause of death in the 1923 Tokyo earthquake?

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1. Guest3180
   

   Fires were the biggest cause of death in the 1923 Tokyo Earthquake. When earth quake came thousands of homes and restaurants had lit fires, mostly gas ranges, for noon-day meal preparation, the quake hit, demolishing buildings, and toppling contents of the traditional wood and paper Japanese houses. Flammable materials in the industrial plants and explosions at a munitions factory helped fuel the flames at such a pace that the normally well-prepared firefighters could not keep up. Broken water mains made water unavailable to fight the fires. Deaths were estimated at nearly 100,000, with an additional 40,000 missing. Hundreds of thousands were left homeless in the resulting fires

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