Japan quake toll hits 48 as rescuers race to find survivors

02-Jan-2024

An official in Ishikawa prefecture, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the "death toll has reached 48".

At least 48 people were killed after a powerful earthquake hit Japan on New Year's Day, with rescue teams on Tuesday (Jan 2) struggling to reach isolated areas where buildings had been toppled, roads wrecked and power cut to tens of thousands of homes.

According to AFP, an official in Ishikawa prefecture, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the "death toll has reached 48".

The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck on Monday afternoon, prompting residents in some coastal areas to flee to higher ground as tsunami waves hit Japan's west coast, sweeping some cars and houses into the sea.

A 3,000-strong rescue crew of army personnel, firefighters and police officers from across the country have been dispatched to the quake sites on the Noto peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture.