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Central Japan quake death toll rises to 206

10 January 2024 13:14 (UTC +04:00)

The death toll from a powerful earthquake that rocked Ishikawa Prefecture and surrounding areas in central Japan on New Year's Day rose to 206, with around 50 unaccounted as heavy rain continues to raise the risk of landslides in disaster-stricken areas, local authorities said Wednesday, APA reports citing Kyodo News.

The death toll includes eight people who were not directly killed by the magnitude-7.6 temblor, but who are believed to have died due to a deterioration in their health, in some cases associated with the stress of being evacuated.

The number of people unaccounted for dropped to 52, but the figure has fluctuated daily as the Ishikawa prefectural government is continuing to release the names of those it cannot reach even if it has no evidence they have been affected by the quake.

Over 26,000 people remain in evacuation centers, while some 3,100 residents are still cut off due to damaged roads, according to the prefectural government.

In areas affected by the Jan. 1 quake, which registered a maximum 7 on the country's seismic intensity scale, local authorities are stepping up inspections on buildings that are at risk of collapse to prevent secondary damage.

At a gutted market in Wajima, where a major blaze broke out following the quake, a large-scale search operation continued for the second day, with police officers removing the rubble by hand.

By municipalities, Suzu, a city on the northern tip of the Noto Peninsula, and adjacent Wajima have seen the largest number of fatalities, with 91 and 83 killed, respectively.