Japan Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 62, Rescue Operations Still On

The total number of deaths in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan’s Ishikawa prefecture on Monday reached 62, reported news agencies on Wednesday.

According to The Japan News, there were 29 casualties in Wajima, 22 in Suzu, five in Nanao, and two each in Anamizu, Hakui, and Shika.

While rescue operations are still ongoing, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a heavy rain warning in the area. It is feared that the rains may result in landslides increasing the woes of the affected.

This powerful earthquake resulted in tsunami waves exceeding one metre, cracked up major roads and also triggered a major fire accident.

Since Monday, Japan has experienced as many as 155 earthquakes, including an initial 7.6 magnitude tremor and another of more than 6 following it.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday said, “More than 40 hours have passed since the disaster. We have received a lot of information about people in need of rescue and there are people waiting for help.”

The Noto Peninsula faced severe devastation, where hundreds of buildings were flattened and were engulfed in flames. Nearly 33,000 households in Suzu remained without power on Tuesday. Major highways in several important routes across Japan remained defunct.