WAJIMA, Japan (AP) — The death toll from a powerful earthquake in western Japan reached 100 on Saturday as rescuers battled aftershocks to carefully pull people out of the rubble.
Previously, the death toll had reached 98, but two more deaths were reported in Anamizu, while officials in Ishikawa Prefecture, the worst-hit region, held their daily meeting to discuss strategy and damage.
Some survivors who had clung to life for days were freed from collapsed houses. A man has been pulled out 72 hours after a series of strong earthquakes began on Japan's west coast.
The number of missing people fell to 211 on Saturday after rising sharply two days ago.
An elderly man was found alive on Wednesday in a collapsed house in Suzu, one of the hardest-hit cities in Ishikawa Prefecture. His daughter shouted “Daddy, Dad” as a crowd of firefighters brought him out on a stretcher and praised him for hanging on so long after Monday's 7.6-magnitude earthquake.
Others had to wait while rescuers searched for relatives.
Ishikawa officials said 59 of the deceased were in Wajima town and 23 in Suzu, while the others were reported in five neighboring towns. More than 500 people were injured, at least 27 of them seriously.
The Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo found that the sandy coastline in western Japan has shifted seaward by up to 250 meters (820 feet) in some places.
The earthquakes triggered a major fire in the town of Wajima as well as tsunamis and landslides in the region. With some routes cut off by the destruction, concern grew for communities where water, food, blankets and medicine had not yet arrived.
Rescuers conduct a search operation in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, on Friday, January 5, 2024. Monday's earthquake decimated homes, twisted and scarred streets and scattered boats like toys in the water, triggering tsunami warnings. (Kyodo News via AP)
The United States announced $100,000 in aid on Friday, including blankets, water and medical supplies, and promised more help. Dodgers Major Leaguer Shohei Ohtani also announced aid for the Noto region, but did not disclose the amount.
Thousands of Japanese troops have banded together to reach the hardest-hit locations on the Noto Peninsula, the center of the quake and connected by a narrow strip of land to the rest of the main island of Honshu.
Experts warned of illness and even death in the evacuation centers, which currently house about 34,000 people who have lost their homes, many of them elderly.
A resident checks her destroyed home in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. Monday's earthquake decimated homes, twisted and scarred streets and scattered boats like toys in the water, triggering tsunami warnings. (Kyodo News via AP)
A man walks among collapsed houses in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. Monday's quake decimated homes, twisted and scarred streets and scattered boats like toys in the water, triggering tsunami warnings. (Kyodo News via AP)
Masashi Tomari, a 67-year-old oyster farmer who lives in Anamizu town in Ishikawa, said it was difficult to sleep on the floor with just a blanket. There was no heating until two ovens finally arrived on Thursday – three days after the magnitude 7.6 quake.
“This is a horrible, cold place,” he said.
Tomari felt at a loss as he thought of his home, where broken glass and overturned objects littered the floor. It was pitch black at night because there was still no electricity in the area.
But Tomari and others were already thinking about rebuilding.
Sachiko Kato, who owns a clothing store in Anamizu, posted a yellow notice as a warning in her shop where the walls were crooked and a red one for the shed at the back, which was completely flattened.
“There were so many shops on this street. Now they're all gone. Maybe we can work hard to rebuild,” she said.
As of Friday, water supply in Anamizu had not been fully restored. Kato had to fetch water from a nearby river to flush the toilet.
A local resident carries belongings on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024, in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Monday's earthquake decimated homes, twisted and scarred streets and scattered boats like toys in the water, triggering tsunami warnings. (Kyodo News via AP)
Dozens of aftershocks have rocked Ishikawa and the surrounding region over the past week. Japan, with its crisscrossing fault lines, is a extremely earthquake-prone country. Weather forecasts called for rain and snow over the weekend, and experts warned of more aftershocks.
The region affected by the recent earthquakes is famous for its handicrafts, including lacquerware, knives, ceramics, candles and kimono fabrics.
Tsutomu Ishikawa, who runs a resin company called Aras that makes fashionable plates and cups, said no lives were lost in his area but that the studio was badly damaged.
He apologized for late deliveries and expressed his determination to resume deliveries and rebuild, recognizing the challenges. “We feel a deep helplessness that the works we created with so much love have disappeared.”
People affected by a strong earthquake receive food on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024, in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Monday's quake decimated homes, twisted and scarred streets and scattered boats like toys in the water, triggering tsunami warnings. (Kyodo News via AP)
Sachiko Takagi, who owns a kimono shop on a quaint shop-lined street in Wajima, said she was lucky that her 80-year-old shop – inherited through generations – was still standing. Others weren't so lucky.
“These people don’t have the energy to start something over,” she said. “I really wonder what’s going to happen to this road.”
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Kageyama reported from Tokyo. Haruka Nuga in Bangkok contributed to this.
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Yuri Kageyama is on X: https://twitter.com/yurikageyama