Japan earthquake: more than 80 dead, about 80 missing

The death toll from the earthquake in central Japan  on the first day of the New Year has surpassed 80 people, with about 80 more missing in Ishikawa Prefecture as of Thursday, search and rescue operations continued, writes UNN citing Kyodo.

Details

In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for "every effort" to save as many lives as possible in the first 72 hours after the magnitude 7.6 earthquake, after which the survival rate for victims is reportedly dropping sharply.

The government plans to allocate about 4 billion yen ($28 million) in reserve funds to strengthen the response, while doubling the number of Self-Defense Force members involved in rescue operations and other activities to 4,600.

The full extent of the damage is still unclear due to damaged roads and disrupted communications in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Many people are believed to still remain under the rubble of the hard-hit coastal city of Wajima, where a major market caught fire and burned down. About 750 people were stranded in areas such as Wajima and adjacent Suzu as roads leading to the disaster-hit areas were cut due to the tremors.

A Maritime Self-Defense Force transport ship arrived at the coast of Wajima and unloaded heavy equipment that will be used for disaster relief.

There are also growing fears that Wednesday's rainy weather could trigger landslides in quake-hit areas.

As of Thursday, about 34,000 people in Ishikawa Prefecture remained in evacuation centers. At least 200 buildings collapsed or were partially damaged, according to the central government.

Supplement

The Japan Meteorological Agency said Monday's quake, which struck the Noto Peninsula at 4:10 p.m. local time, was centered about 30 kilometers east-northeast of Wajima.