The number of casualties resulting from a sequence of strong earthquakes in Japan, which includes a 7.5 magnitude quake, has climbed to 62, according to NHK World. Officials from the severely affected Ishikawa prefecture have reported that the majority of the deaths occurred in Wajima and Suzu on the Noto Peninsula.
Over 20 people are reported to be seriously injured as authorities seek to confirm how many people remain missing, according to Bloomberg. Many are feared trapped under collapsed houses.
The earthquakes jolted the Noto Peninsula in the central prefecture of Ishikawa on Monday, causing buildings to collapse and tsunami warnings to be sent as far away as eastern Russia.
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Japan Grapples with Aftermath of Earthquake
According to the country’s meteorological office, a total of 155 earthquakes were reported on that day in the country. On Tuesday, rescuers battled aftershocks and poor weather to comb through rubble.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has warned of heavy rainfall in Noto. “Be on the lookout for landslides until the evening of Wednesday,” the agency said, according to AFP.
On Tuesday, the rescue and relief efforts faced a significant setback when an airplane carrying essential emergency supplies caught fire following a runway collision at Haneda airport. Tragically, five members of the coastguard crew lost their lives in the incident.
On Tuesday night, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reiterated that “it’s a race against time” given how many people may have been caught in the collapsed buildings, according to NHK.
Kishida’s government will also hold a meeting of an emergency task force on Wednesday morning to discuss relief and rescue operations.
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