62 dead in Noto earthquake, search operations continue
At least 62 people were killed in the powerful earthquake that jolted the Noto Peninsula and surrounding areas in central Japan on New Year's Day, with rubble and severed roads still preventing search and rescue operations on Wednesday, Kyodo reports.
Two days have passed since the magnitude-7.6 quake caused extensive structural damage and fires in the city of Wajima in Ishikawa Prefecture, but the full extent of the situation remains unknown.
With intermittent rain expected through Thursday in the disaster-hit areas of the prefecture, in which some villages remain cut off, the Japan Meteorological Agency warned of potential mudslides.
Japan's Self-Defense Forces were set to use helicopters to deliver supplies to cut-off areas, with local authorities asking the central government to send SDF personnel for a disaster relief mission.
Municipal authorities, meanwhile, said they had received information about several cases of people being buried alive or trapped under collapsed homes in the quake-hit areas.
The New Year's Day earthquake was centered around 30 kilometers east-northeast of Wajima with a provisional depth of 16 km and registered the highest level of 7 on Japan's seismic intensity scale, according to the agency. In the city, a seven-story building toppled over sideways.
A level-7 quake is described as making it impossible for people to stand. Such a temblor was last recorded in 2018 in Hokkaido, the weather agency said.