A week after the New Year earthquake in Japan, the toll continues to rise: 565 injured, 323 people missing and at least 168 people dead. The total number of missing people has tripled. The majority of people whose loved ones have not heard from were reported in the town of Wajima, one of the hardest hit by the disaster, on the Noto Peninsula on the Sea of Japan. The city was notably the scene of serious fires.
The thousands of rescuers from all over the country, who continue to explore the rubble in search of bodies, must deal with the snow which fell on the Noto peninsula on Monday, depositing in layers of more than 10 cm in places , and temperatures not exceeding 4°C. New landslides due to precipitation are feared and icy conditions are expected to further complicate traffic on roads damaged by the earthquake, authorities have warned.
More than 2,000 people isolated
The emergency services are also continuing their efforts to reach more than 2,000 people sometimes in critical situations, isolated due to roads damaged by the earthquake, and to deliver them food and equipment.
The governor of the Ishikawa department, Hiroshi Hase, stressed to the public television channel NHK that it was necessary “at all costs to prevent deaths” among the refugees from the disaster, while some 29,000 people were sheltered on Sunday in 404 government shelters.
Critical health situation
According to the mayor of the city of Wajima, the health situation is critical in the shelters. “Evacuation centers are crowded and infectious diseases such as norovirus and Covid-19 are appearing,” warned Shigeru Sakaguchi on Sunday during a meeting on aid to disaster victims, according to the daily Asahi .
The Ishikawa governor said authorities were preparing additional places of refuge with sufficient water, food and heaters, including requisitioning hotel rooms. Around 18,000 homes were still without electricity, and 66,000 homes did not have access to running water on Sunday.