2024-01-04 14:27:00
TOKYO, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) — The number of people missing in central Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture following Monday’s strong earthquakes rose to 179 as of Thursday, public broadcaster NHK said.
In addition, at 6:00 p.m. local time, the death toll from the earthquakes rose to 84 deaths while search and rescue operations continue three days following the disaster, according to the local press.
Japanese rescuers pulled an 80-year-old woman from the rubble of a house in the hard-hit town of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, at 4:28 p.m. local time, just over 72 hours following powerful earthquakes struck the city. Noto Peninsula, NHK added. This woman is conscious and reacting, she said.
As of midday on Thursday, the Ministry of Education and Culture confirmed that the earthquakes had damaged 276 schools and infrastructure and caused damage to 20 important cultural sites in disaster areas along the Sea of Japan.
A series of strong earthquakes, including a major one with a magnitude of 7.6, occurred at shallow depths in the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture on Monday. The Japan Meteorological Agency officially named it the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. END
1704387233
#Japan #missing #Ishikawa #prefecture #strong #earthquakes #Xinhua
