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Japan earthquake: Hope fades for rescue of 222 missing people as death toll rises to 94

Japan earthquake: Hope fades for rescue of 222 missing people as death toll rises to 94

Japan earthquake

In the wake of a powerful earthquake that rocked Japan's Ishikawa prefecture on January 1, rescuers are tirelessly searching for survivors even as bad weather and damaged roads hamper the efforts and the death toll nears 100.

On Friday, four days after the devastating 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Japan, 222 people still remain missing. The number of injured stands at 464, while 94 people are confirmed dead, including a high school boy who was visiting his family.

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Amid forecasts of rain, snow and falling temperatures in coming days, the hopeof finding more survivors is fast fading.However, despite the end of the three-day survival window, rescuers continue their efforts, hoping to findmore people. As per emergency responders, survival rates tend to drop beyond the three-day or 72-hour period after an earthquake.

Speaking at a press conference, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also stressed "We must continue putting all of our efforts into rescuing people, even beyond 72 hours after the disaster."

On Thursday, the Japanese leader also pledged to tap roughly 4 billion yen ($28 million) of the country's national budget for disaster relief.

Miraculous rescue

More than 72 hours after the quake, on Thursday, two elderly women were pulled from the remains of their home in Wajima. As per AFP, one of them was rescue thanks to the effort of a sniffer dog.

Around 30,000 households in the Ishikawa region still remain without electricity. 89,800 homes in Ishikawa and two other regions are without water, while hundreds of people are living in government shelters.

Japan and earthquakes

Every year, Japan experiences hundreds of earthquakes, due to which the nation has stringent building codes, which have been in place for more than four decades.

Thanks to these strict building codes, Japan experiences little or no damage.

However, as per AFP, over the last five years, the Noto region has been hit with earthquakes of intensifying strength and frequency.

The earthquake that struck Japan on New Year's as per the US Geological Survey had a magnitude of 7.5, while the JMA measured it at 7.6.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Moohita Kaur Garg

Moohita Kaur Garg is a journalist and Senior Sub-Editor at WION News with five years of experience covering the volatile intersections of geopolitics and global security. She has e...Read More