TOKYO: The death toll from a powerful quake that struck central Japan on New Year’s Day has climbed to 62, a local government official stated on Wednesday.
Over 300 people have been reportedly injured, of which 20 are critical, an official in charge of disaster response said.
Japanese rescuers scrambled to search for survivors as local officials warned of landslides and heavy rain following the powerful earthquake in the country.
The 7.5 magnitude earthquake on January 1st that rattled Ishikawa region on the main island of Honshu triggered tsunami waves over a metre high, also sparked a major fire and tore separately roads.
Japan Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 62: Local Authorities
Earlier, the local government said late Tuesday that around 55 people had been killed and about 22 severely wounded. But the death toll was likely to increase as rescuers battle aftershocks and bad weather to comb via debris. The local authorities said that over 31,800 people were in accommodations.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government in Japan was due to hold a meeting of an emergency department to discuss responses. The PM reiterated that “it is a race against time” given how many citizens may have been caught in the collapsed compounds, NHK reported.
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The rescue operation was given extra urgency as the Japan Meteorological Agency had issued a heavy rain warning for the region. About, 34,000 households were still without electricity in the quake-hit region.
Local media reported that Shinkansen bullet trains and highways have eventually resumed operations following several thousand commuters were stranded, some for around 24 hours.
