NANAO, Japan: Three days after a devastating earthquake left at least 78 people dead, more than 50 people were reported missing on Thursday ( Jan 4 ) as Japanese rescuers struggled to reach hundreds who were still cut off from assistance.
More than a few communities in central Japan, where the 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck on Monday, were left isolated by floods and blocked streets as the desperate search for victims continues.
At least 330 people were hurt by the strong main tremor, which was followed by lots of waves, according to local officials.
On Thursday, officials also released a list of 51 persons whose whereabouts were unknown.
In the seaside town of Anamizu, AFP witnessed additional scenes of devastation, including cars being crushed beneath crumbling material and entire three-story building facades being torn down.
From all over Japan, thousands of soldiers, firefighters, and police officers searched the rubble for signs of life among the demolished sturdy homes and fell commercial structures.
In the Ishikawa province on the Sea of Japan beach, about 29, 000 families lacked access to electricity, and more than 110, 000 homes across the island and two nearby areas were without water.
Small towns in the hardest-hit Noto Peninsula place were denied admittance, and 300 people were frantically awaiting assistance at a school in Ooya, Suzu.
” Even if I feed my kids, it is still insufficient at all. I have n’t eaten much for the past two days, a Suzu-based 30-year-old mother of three told the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.