Tokyo, Japan

A powerful earthquake rocked Japan on Monday (Jan 1), killing at least 73 people and leaving tens of thousands without power or running water. The misery deepened with freezing temperatures and heavy rainfall. 

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Monday's quake of magnitude 7.6 was centred near Noto, which is about 300 kilometres from Tokyo on the opposite coast. Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas were shaken by more aftershocks on Wednesday. 

The heavy rains have also raised fears of landslides that could further hinder efforts to rescue many more people still trapped under rubble. 

In the aftermath of the major quake, the rescue attempts have been hampered by severed roads, damaged infrastructure, and the remote location of the hardest-hit districts. The exact extent of damage and casualties is unknown even two days after the quake. 

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On January 1, the Noto Peninsula was worst hit by the 7.5-magnitude quake, with port towns such as Wajima and Suzu resembling war zones with streets of mud, flattened houses and sunken boats. 

Relief officials handed out water, blankets, food and other supplies. People are being shifted to safer places. A 75-year-old Yoko Demura said from a shelter in the city of Nanao, "I can never go back there. It's unlivable now." Demura's home was reduced to rubble. 

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"It makes me sad and I will miss it," she told the news agency AFP. 

Some people are reported missing and search dogs joined military personnel and firefighters who are trying to find them, although the exact number is unclear. 

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters: "More than 40 hours have passed. This is a race against time, and I feel that we are at a critical moment. We have received reports many people are still waiting for rescue under collapsed buildings." 

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'No houses standing'

There were "almost no houses standing" in one town in the Suzu area, said municipal mayor Masuhiro Izumiya. 

"About 90 per cent of the houses (in that town) are completely or almost completely destroyed... the situation is really catastrophic," he said, according to broadcaster TBS.

According to the regional government, 73 people are dead and nearly 400 injured. The toll is expected to rise.

More than 33,400 people were in shelters, and at least 200 buildings had collapsed.

Around 30,000 households were still without power in Ishikawa prefecture, the local utility said, and over 110,000 households were left without running water. 

(With inputs from agencies)