TOKYO: The death toll from a powerful quake in Japan that hit the country’s west coast on New Year’s Day rose to 92 on Friday, local authorities said.
The search for survivors under collapsed compounds continued and tens of thousands of evacuees await aid and help. As per local authorities the number of missing people has risen to 242.
Hope for finding more survivors was fading as more than 72 hours have been passed after the massive shockwave, which triggered landslides, a major fire and a tsunami more than a meter high.
Over 33,000 people have evacuated from their houses while around 100,000 homes have no water supply, said the local government. Over 300 people have been reportedly wounded, of which 20 are critical, an official in charge of disaster response said.
The 7.5 magnitude earthquake on January 1st rattled Ishikawa region on the main island of Honshu triggering tsunami waves over a meter high. The quake also sparked a major fire and tore separately roads.
Earlier, Japan’s Prime Minister reiterated that “it is a race against time” given how many citizens may have been caught in the collapsed compounds.
The rescue operation was given extra urgency as the Japan Meteorological Agency had issued a heavy rain warning for the region.
Earlier, local media reported that Shinkansen bullet trains and highways have eventually resumed operations following several thousand commuters were stranded, some for around 24 hours.
