At least 84 dead, 79 missing in Japan earthquake as 72-hour rescue window closes
Jan. 4 (UPI) -- The death toll from Japan's New Year's Day earthquake rose to 84 on Thursday as a critical 72-hour window of time to find those still unaccounted for expired.
The latest update from Ishikawa Prefecture in western Japan, the epicenter of Monday's 7.5-magnitude quake, showed 79 people officially recorded as missing, though the actual number may be much higher.
Rescuers were battling against poor weather conditions to reach at least 700 people in areas of the cities of Wajima and Suzu which have been cut off due to roads destroyed in the earthquake, the prefecture crisis management unit said.
About another 50 people are thought to be stranded in isolated villages on the remote Noto Peninsula, which was the worst-hit area.
"Today, as we face the '72-hour wall', is a critical moment for saving lives," Ishikawa Governor Hiroshi Hase said in a post on X. "We will do our best to save as many people as possible with the maximum cooperation of the Self-Defense Forces, fire department, Japan Coast Guard, police, and others. Since the disaster, efforts have been made to prioritize saving lives, but there are still many people whose safety is unknown."
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida added his voice to those focusing on the expiry of the three-day window in which victims of earthquakes can still be pulled alive from beneath collapsed buildings, saying there were many people still awaiting rescue.
"We will continue to use all our efforts at the scene to save and rescue as many people as possible until this evening, when 72 hours have passed since the disaster, which is important from the perspective of saving lives," he said at a news conference.
"In particular, in addition to areas in need of rescue in urban areas, we will use every means possible to check and rescue areas where roads are cut off, such as areas where roads have collapsed along the coast."
The National Police Agency said it was working with other national and regional authorities in "making every effort" to reach victims.
"A helicopter is also being dispatched. If you need help, please signal the helicopter by waving your hand or flashing your lights," the agency wrote in a post on X.
The Ministry of Defense said it was stepping up its disaster response by having all branches of the military work together and bringing in relief supplies and heavy machinery by sea to repair and clear roads linking the Noto Peninsula with Kanazawa.
"Today we will do our best to save lives by integrating the Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces," the MoD wrote on X.
