The death toll from the earthquake in Japan has risen to 73

He magnitude earthquake 7.6 that struck the west coast of central Japan on Monday left at least 73 dead, local authorities said today, as rescue efforts intensified to find survivors under the rubble.

In locations like Wajima, Noto or Suzu, all near the epicenter of the earthquake, municipalities increased their estimates of the number of collapsed houses, causing the rescue apparatus to multiply before the 72-hour limit was reached, after which it is almost impossible to find people alive.

IN Wajima, one of the most affected, 39 people died, while 23 died in Suzu, 5 in Nanao, 2 in Anamizu, 2 in Noto, and one person in Hakui and another in Shiga.

Local authorities have warned of people still missing in other parts of Ishikawa Prefecture, where rescue efforts are still ongoing, while the number of injured today stands at 323, including serious and minor injuries, also in this area.

During a situation management meeting held today, local police reported that they had received 121 reports of people or groups in need of rescue that had not yet been able to be helped, as detailed in state television NHK.

As of Tuesday, about 1,000 troops have been sent to the prefecture, along with 22 planes and 8 ships for rescue activities and damage information gathering, however, twice as many personnel will be sent in the next few hours, along with firefighters and police officers from across Japan.

Monday’s quake, which struck the Noto Peninsula – an area known to have active faults – had its epicenter 30 kilometers northeast of Wajima and reached a level 7 on Japan’s closed scale of 7, which focuses on the destructive power of earthquakes.

This earthquake, the most destructive in Japan since the one in 2016 in the prefecture Kumamoto (which left more than 200 dead), was the first level 7 recorded in the country since 2018, when the earthquake reached level 7 on the island of Hokkaido.