The death toll from the earthquakes that continue in central Japan has reached 62, as follows from the data published by the regional authorities.
More than 100 people have been injured. Most of the casualties were in the Ishikawa prefecture - the epicenter of the ongoing earthquakes. Fires have destroyed more than 200 homes. More than 100 buildings collapsed after earth tremors. Rescuers, emergency workers and soldiers continue to remove debris and search for survivors. It has been raining in the affected regions since Wednesday morning.
About 60,000 residents of Ishikawa, Niigata and other Japanese prefectures were evacuated. More than 33,000 homes remain without power supply. In the affected regions Internet and mobile communication is unstable. Water supply is a problem in a number of communities.
****10:22, January 3rd
Death toll from Japanese quakes rises to 48, government officials say, Ednews reports.
****10:25
A series of building collapses and fires left at least 24 people dead in Ishikawa prefecture after a series of strong earthquakes hit the area in central Japan and the vicinity, the national news agency Kyodo reported on Tuesday, citing local authorities, Ednews reports.
According to Wajima city authority, the deceased including a male teenager from the local area.
A large-scale fire broke out around the famous tourist spot Wajima morning market, engulfing approximately 200 buildings. The city also experienced building collapses, with 14 cases of people being buried.
As more damage reports and information about people trapped continued to come in regarding other municipalities, injuries were reported in Niigata, Toyama, Fukui, and Gifu prefectures due to collapsed or damaged buildings.
Calling the rescue of those impacted by the earthquakes a battle against time, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the government has already dispatched a number of self-defense force troops to the impacted areas and will continue to provide assistance.
A series of strong earthquakes, with major ones of up to a preliminary 7.6 magnitude, hit on Monday at a shallow depth on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture. The Japan Meteorological Agency has officially named it the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.
Since Monday, Japan has been hit by at least 155 quakes.
***12:00
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit the waters off the west coast of Japan's Honshu island at 3:10 p.m. Monday Beijing Time, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC), Ednews reports.
The epicenter, with a depth of 30 km, was monitored at 37.50 degrees north latitude and 137.20 degrees east longitude, said the CENC.
