Iran Press/Iran news: According to Japan's Kyodo News and NHK, Ishikawa authorities said that at least 64 people have been killed as of 11 a.m. Wednesday.
NHK said the number of injured was estimated to stand at a total of 370, including 304 in Ishikawa Prefecture alone.
Local media outlets said that the death toll is feared to continue rising as many buildings collapsed and roads to the affected region have been rendered unusable.
Aftershocks continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas two days after a magnitude 7.6 temblor slammed the area. The first 72 hours are considered crucial to save lives after disasters.
Rescuers in western Japan were scrambling to search for survivors believed to be trapped under collapsed buildings on Wednesday, as freezing temperatures and heavy rain are expected to strike the same area that was devastated by a powerful earthquake the day before.
Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas were rattled by a 4.9 magnitude aftershock early Wednesday, one of dozens of aftershocks that have followed Monday's shallow magnitude 7.6 temblor with an epicenter at Noto, Ishikawa prefecture, about 300 kilometers (185 miles) from Tokyo on the opposite coast.
The shaking set off tsunami warnings, followed by waves measuring more than 1 meter in some places.
“More than 40 hours have passed. This is a race against time, and I feel that we are at a critical moment,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters. “We have received reports many people are still waiting for rescue under collapsed buildings.”
Noto’s narrow peninsula landscape has added to the challenges in reaching some communities. Water, power, and cell phone service were still down in some areas.
Several nuclear plants in the region raised concern, although no major problems or rises in radiation levels have been reported. Shika nuclear plant in Ishikawa suffered partial electricity failure, but backup power kicked in, ensuring the critical cooling process continued.
Meanwhile, the quake has left 33-thousand-800 households without power and at least 95-thousand households with no water supply in Ishikawa.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said that as of 3 a.m. Wednesday, 448 tremors with magnitude one or higher were observed on the Noto Peninsula since the mainshock struck at 4 p.m. Monday.
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A powerful earthquake in Japan leaves 4 dead as a warning of tsunami reduces
