The number of missing people after the violent earthquake that struck the western coast of Japan on New Year's Day has risen to more than 240 people. As Japanese media reported today, the government has doubled the number of soldiers sent to the disaster area to 4,600 to support emergency services. When searching for survivors, the first 72 hours are crucial. Anyone who is not rescued during this time will have their chances of survival greatly reduced.
She added that there are dozens of reports that people are still lying under collapsed houses. Mountains of rubble, damaged roads, landslides and aftershocks continued to hamper the work of search and rescue teams.
Hundreds of people are isolated from the outside world
She added that in the most affected Ishikawa Prefecture, at least 700 people are still isolated from the outside world. Kyodo News reported that electricity supplies were cut off to about 30,000 families and water supplies to 80,000 families.
According to local authorities, about 33,000 people are still staying in hundreds of emergency shelters. Since the New Year's earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.6, more than 150 aftershocks have rocked the Sea of Japan region.
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