Japan earthquake death toll tops 100 with hundreds still missing

Yutaka Obayashi, who lives in his car after the earthquake, cries after greeting firefighters in gratitude, in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, January 6, 2024. REUTERS

The death toll from Japan's New Year's Day earthquake topped 100 on Saturday with more than 200 people still missing, the country's deadliest quake in nearly eight years.

The magnitude 7.6 earthquake that struck Japan's west coast destroyed infrastructure, leaving 23,000 homes without power in the Hokuriku region.

The search for survivors under collapsed buildings continued for a sixth day as more than 30,000 evacuees awaited aid.

Sixteen further deaths were confirmed in Wajima city and Anamizu town by 1 pm (0400 GMT) on Saturday, bringing the total to 110, Kyodo news agency said, quoting the Ishikawa prefectural government and other sources.

As of Saturday morning, 98 people had been confirmed dead, according to the Ishikawa government website.

It is the highest toll since quakes in Kumamoto in southwestern Japan killed 276 people, including related deaths, in 2016.

Road disruptions and other problems have hindered the delivery of relief supplies.

Freelance cameraman Masao Mochizuki, 73, stood in a long line of Wajima residents in front of a supermarket that reopened on Thursday, to buy necessities.

"It is such a help that they have managed to reopen the store," Mochizuki told Reuters after buying a box of heat patches, blue plastic sheets to cover broken windows and a pair of shoes to protect his feet from the shattered glass that is all over the floors of his house.

"But I don't see the road to reconstruction just yet," Mochizuki said, his voice cracking with emotion.