Six days after several earthquakes with a maximum magnitude of 7.6 rocked the prefecture and its environs, authorities in the central Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa reported 128 fatalities.
In addition, 560 people in Ishikawa were injured as a result of the earthquakes, and as of 2:00 p.m. local time, 195 individuals in the prefecture were still missing while rescue efforts persisted in the affected areas, according to local authorities.
At about 8:20 p.m. local time on Saturday, a 90-year-old woman who was buried beneath the debris was freed from a collapsed house in Suzu City, Ishikawa prefecture, according to Xinhua news agency.
The old woman, who was saved 124 hours after Monday’s strong earthquake, has recovered, according to a doctor’s report on Sunday.
Since there is a large decline in survival chances beyond the first three days of a disaster, the emergency rescue team reports that it is uncommon for people to be rescued more than 72 hours following the earthquake.
According to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the government will declare the earthquake a defined emergency disaster and grant affected parties special treatment, including extending driver’s license validity and delaying bankruptcy processes. Kishida made this announcement on Sunday.
Heavy snowfall is predicted to cover disaster-affected areas, with Ishikawa set to receive up to 60 cm of snow through Monday morning, according to Japan’s weather agency, which also warned of traffic difficulties.
According to Kyodo News, in the event of significant snowfall, the prefectural government intends to temporarily restrict important routes, which could impede the supply of aid to individuals impacted by the calamity.
Since the 276 fatal Kumamoto earthquakes in 2016 in the southwest of the country, the Noto Peninsula earthquake of 2024 is the first to kill over 100 people in Japan.
