The 7.6 magnitude earthquake that shook the western coast of central Japan on New Year’s Day left at least 202 dead and 102 missing, according to the latest data provided today by the local authorities of Ishikawa prefecture, the most affected. A week after the devastating earthquake, the authorities have made public the latest data on confirmed deaths, while the search for victims and assistance to those affected continues to be hampered by the snow and the damage that the earthquake caused to roads and connections.
In Wajima, one of the most affected cities, 81 people died, 91 in Suzu, 5 in the city of Nanao, 20 in Anamizu, 2 in Noto, 2 in Shiga and one person in Hakui. The number of seriously and slightly injured people stands at 565, while around 28,000 people are still displaced and thousands of houses remain without power with temperatures below zero in the most seriously affected areas. About 6,300 members of the Japanese military joined local rescue teams and those sent from other provinces to participate in rescue and supply operations, which proved complicated and insufficient in some areas, according to testimonies of those affected. The Japanese government announced today that it will allocate more than 4.7 billion yen (about 30 million euros) of its reserve funds to send humanitarian aid to the Noto peninsula, including food, water, fuel and other essential products. In recent days, damage to roads and access roads has made it difficult to transport supplies, which must be delivered via drones or on foot