Rescuers in Japan worked Thursday to try to find people still missing from Monday’s powerful earthquake off the country’s west coast, amid fears that time was running out.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the number of troops assigned to the rescue effort was boosted from about 1,000 to 4,600.
The earthquake killed at least 78 people and injured more than 330. There were 51 people listing as missing on Thursday.
“This is a race against time, and I feel that we are at a critical moment,” Kishida told reporters Wednesday. "We have received reports many people are still waiting for rescue under collapsed buildings."
The quake split roads into pieces and cracked open a runway in at least one regional airport, making it difficult for emergency officials to assess the damage.
The brunt of the damage in Ishikawa occurred in the port city of Wajima, famous for its morning market and fine lacquerware and other traditional crafts. Firefighters
worked for hours Monday night to extinguish a massive fire that destroyed numerous buildings.
Those killed included 44 people in Wajima.
The earthquake triggered tsunami waves measuring more than one meter that swept across the region, washing cars and homes into the sea and scuttling scores of fishing boats.
Nearly 33,000 residents who fled their homes ahead of the tsunami waves are sheltering in cramped evacuation centers.
Monday’s quake has been followed by several strong aftershocks, which the agency says could continue over the next few days.
The quake revived memories of the March 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami
that swamped the nuclear plant in northeastern Fukushima prefecture, knocking out its power supply and cooling systems. The damage caused a meltdown of the plant’s three reactors, leading to the world’s worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 Chernobyl accident.
But a government spokesperson said there were no reported irregularities at any of the nuclear power plants near the epicenter of Monday’s quake.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
