Japan’s New Year’s Eve earthquake and tsunami leaves 242 missing as rescue workers race to find survivors
The search for survivors of the earthquake came to an end late on Thursday after a 72-hour deadline.
The death toll from Friday’s 7.6-magnitude earthquake in the Noto peninsula has risen to 92.
According to the Kyodo news agency, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces have increased the number of troops participating in rescue and relief operations to 4,600.
It is believed that tens of thousands of people are trapped under the debris, mostly in the cities of Osaka and Fukuoka. The wooden homes were not designed to withstand the country’s frequent strong quakes.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people remain without electricity and water, and hundreds remain cut off from aid due to mudslides and blocked roads.
Mr. Kishida called on rescue and relief agencies to make every effort to get to the afflicted communities.
One of the biggest challenges for us is access. Most disaster-stricken areas are hard to get to due to rocks on roads and mudslides caused by rain and aftershocks, said MusubiYata, a representative of the Japan Red Cross Society.
“When the aftershocks came, we had to cancel some of the medical operations because we thought the roads might collapse, ” she told the BBC.
The earthquake on Monday night also caused a small tsunami that inundated an area of at least 296 hectares (120 acres), according to Japan’s land ministry.
Japan announced that it will set aside 4.74 trillion yen ($34 million; £27 million) from its budget reserves to help the victims.
Japan Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF) photos showed soldiers loading food, water and toiletries onto trucks that lined the road. They also showed troops clearing mud and rubble from landslide-damaged roads.
In another photograph, soldiers were seen carrying a stretcher carrying a survivor across a snow-capped path.
On Wednesday, the WebStoryHub went on a tour of Wajima, where some buildings and cars were crushed under falling concrete. Many traditional wooden houses in the town had been destroyed.
The city, which was once home to 23,000 people, has been reduced to a ghost town since most people ignored early evacuation orders when they were warned of a possible Tsunami.
