TOKYO, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) — Four days after a series of earthquakes with a magnitude of up to 7.6 hit Ishikawa Prefecture and surrounding areas in central Japan, the death toll has risen. The number of missing people stands at 92 and more than 200, raising fears of a worsening of the damage as rescue and search operations intensify.
As of 9 a.m. local time on Friday, 242 people were missing in Ishikawa, state news agency Kyodo reported, citing prefectural authorities.
After the earthquakes, the coastal city of Wajima, the hardest hit, faces more than 40 cases of people buried or trapped under the collapses. The Japan Self-Defense Forces have stepped up efforts with around 4,600 people involved, working with police and firefighters to speed up the search and confirm that the missing people are safe.
An area of around 48,000 square meters, the equivalent of 4.5 football fields, was destroyed after a huge fire broke out in the center of Wajima city during the tremors, Kyodo reported.
The delivery of essential goods remains a challenge, with more than ten localities seeing their roads closed due to landslides. At the same time, more than 700 people are still stranded in isolated communities in the prefecture.
The region’s infrastructure suffered severe damage, with around 30,000 households facing power cuts and 80,000 in 13 towns and villages experiencing water supply disruptions.
As around 33,000 people remained in 370 evacuation centers in Ishikawa, sanitation issues, including access to toilets, also emerged as urgent concerns, according to local media. END
2024-01-05 04:09:00
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