Central Japan Quake Death Toll Rises to 94

From Jiji

January 5 2024

Kanazawa, Ishikawa Pref – The death toll in the central Japan prefecture of Ishikawa from Monday’s devastating earthquake has risen to 94, the prefectural government said Friday. 

The number of people who were unaccounted for after the 7.6-magnitude quake stood at 222 in Ishikawa as of 2 p.m. Friday.

Local governments have received many reports of people buried in collapsed houses, but the full extent of the damage is not yet known. Firefighters and others are continuing search and rescue operations.

Of the deaths, 55 were in the city of Wajima, 23 in the city of Suzu, six in the town of Anamizu, five in the city of Nanao, two each in the towns of Noto and Shika, and one in the city of Hakui, according to the prefectural government. The missing people include 121 in Wajima and 82 in Suzu.  

As of Friday, more than 32,000 people were at evacuation centers set up in Ishikawa. A total of over 150 people remained isolated in Suzu, Anamizu and Noto due to damage to lifeline infrastructure. About 66,000 households in the prefecture have been without water supplies, and many households have been hit by power outages.