Japan Earthquake Death Toll Exceeds 100, Hundreds Still Missing

TEMPO.CO, Wajima - The confirmed death toll from the New Year's Day earthquake in Japan reached 110 on Saturday, Jan. 6, as a search for survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings entered a sixth day.

The magnitude 7.6 quake struck the west coast, destroying infrastructure and snapping power links to 22,000 homes in the Hokuriku region. Rain hampered efforts to sift the rubble for survivors as more than 30,000 evacuees awaited aid.

The number of confirmed dead was 110 by 4 p.m. (07:00 GMT) on Saturday, up from 94 the previous day, the Ishikawa government website showed. More than 200 people are still missing after the deadliest quake in nearly eight years.

"I am keenly aware of the extent of the damage caused," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said as the toll crossed 100.

The figure is the highest since a toll of 276 in quakes in 2016 in the southwestern region of Kumamoto, a tally that includes related deaths.

Kishida told government officials to speed up emergency efforts to restore trunk roads ripped up by the quake so that rescue and relief activities could be increased.

Japan's Self-Defence Forces is set to reinforce the number of rescue staff by 400 to 5,400, with road disruptions among the obstacles hindering the delivery of relief supplies.

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