180 Confirmed Dead in Central Japan Quake; 120 Still Missing

https://sp.m.jiji.com/english/show/30573

The death toll in Ishikawa Prefecture from the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck central Japan on New Year's Day stood at 180 as of 9 a.m. Tuesday, up by 12 from the previous day.

Of the fatalities, 81 were in the city of Wajima, 71 in the city of Suzu, 18 in the town of Anamizu, five in the city of Nanao, two each in the towns of Shika and Noto, and one in the city of Hakui, according to the Ishikawa prefectural government.

The number of people still unaccounted for fell by 323 from Monday to 120, including 100 in Wajima, 19 in Suzu and one in Nanao.

The Ishikawa prefectural police department will start a large-scale search for missing people later Tuesday in areas around the "Asaichi Dori" morning market street, a famous tourist attraction in Wajima.

About 150 police personnel will comb the areas, where many buildings were reduced to a charred pile of rubble from fires that broke out after the earthquake, which registered up to 7, the highest level on Japan's seismic intensity scale.