Asia
Japan Earthquake: Over 200 missing as hopes for survivors fade
Rescuers in Japan are rushing to find 242 individuals who went missing after a catastrophic earthquake on New Year’s Day.
A crucial 72-hour deadline for finding survivors from the time the earthquake occurred ended late Thursday.
The death toll from the 7.6-magnitude earthquake on the remote Noto Peninsula increased to 92 on Friday.
According to reports, Japan’s self-defense forces have increased the number of personnel participating in rescue and relief operations to 4,600.
Many individuals are believed to be trapped beneath collapsed homes, primarily in the towns of Suzu and Wajima. The wooden constructions were not designed to survive the country’s periodic earthquakes.
Tens of thousands of people are still without electricity and water, and hundreds more are cut off from assistance due to landslides and blocked roads.
“We will not give up,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida declared Friday after meeting with disaster response personnel.
Mr. Kishida asked rescue and relief teams to make every effort to reach the impacted communities.
According to Japan’s land ministry, the Monday evening earthquake caused a modest wave that flooded at least 296 acres (120 ha) of land.
Japan has stated that it will spend 4.74 billion yen ($34 million; £27 million) from its budget reserves to assist the victims.
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force released photos of troops loading food, drinking water, and hygiene supplies onto trucks parked on the side of the road. Troops can also be seen cleaning up mud and debris from highways damaged by landslides.
Another image showed troops bringing a survivor on a stretcher across a snow-covered route.
On a visit to Wajima on Wednesday, reporters witnessed considerable wreckage, with some homes and vehicles crushed beneath disintegrating concrete. Many of the town’s historic wooden houses have collapsed.
The village of 23,000 people now resembles a ghost town, since most residents followed early evacuation warnings when tsunamis were predicted.
