Japan Earthquake Toll Rises To 62, Rescuers Battle Aftershocks, Poor Weather

The toll due to a series of powerful earthquakes in Japan, including one with a magnitude of 7.5, has now risen to 62, NHK World reported, citing officials from the hard-hit Ishikawa prefecture. Most of the fatalities have been confirmed in Wajima and Suzu on the Noto Peninsula.

Over 20 people are reported to be seriously injured as authorities seek to confirm how many people remain missing, according to Bloomberg. Many are feared trapped under collapsed houses.

The earthquakes jolted the Noto Peninsula in the central prefecture of Ishikawa on Monday, causing buildings to collapse and tsunami warnings to be sent as far away as eastern Russia.

According to the country’s meteorological office, a total of 155 earthquakes were reported on that day in the country.

On Tuesday, rescuers battled aftershocks and poor weather to comb through rubble.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has warned of heavy rainfall in Noto. “Be on the lookout for landslides until the evening of Wednesday,” the agency said, according to AFP.

The rescue and relief mission also suffered a devastating blow on Tuesday after an aircraft packed with emergency supplies caught fire after a runway collision at Haneda airport. Five coastguard crew members were killed in the incident.

On Tuesday night, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reiterated that “it’s a race against time” given how many people may have been caught in the collapsed buildings, according to NHK.

Kishida’s government will also hold a meeting of an emergency task force on Wednesday morning to discuss relief and rescue operations.

Meanwhile, in the coastal city of Suzu, mayor Masuhiro Izumiya said there were “almost no houses standing”.

“About 90% of the houses (in the town) are completely or almost completely destroyed… the situation is really catastrophic,” he said according to broadcaster TBS.

Japan experiences hundreds of earthquakes every year and the vast majority cause no damage. The Island nation is haunted by a massive 9.0 magnitude undersea quake off northeastern Japan in 2011 which triggered a tsunami that left around 18,500 people dead or missing.