The city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, at the northern tip of the Noto Peninsula, after it was hit by tsunami generated by the Jan. 1 magnitude-7.6 earthquake (Kazuhiro Ichikawa)

Photo/Illutration Smoke from fires in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 2 (Tatsuya Shimada)

KANAZAWA--The death toll from the New Year’s Day earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture stood at 65 as of 3 p.m. on Jan. 3, prefectural officials said.

The magnitude-7.6 earthquake in the Noto Peninsula left at least 323 people injured, some seriously, officials added.

Around 33,400 people were staying in evacuation centers.

Thirty-two deaths were confirmed in Wajima, followed by 22 in Suzu and five in Nanao. There were two fatalities each in Noto and Anamizu and one each in Hakui and Shika.

As of 8 a.m., officials said 1,090 Self-Defense Force personnel were engaged in search and rescue operations, mainly in the cities of Wajima and Suzu.

At least 27 buildings collapsed in Ishikawa Prefecture, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency and other sources. Many residents were believed to be trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings and homes.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the government is doing its utmost to provide first-aid and rescue operations. 

“More than 40 hours have passed since the earthquake struck,” Kishida told a news conference in Tokyo on Jan. 3. “The rescue of victims is a race against time, and we feel that we are now at a critical moment.” 

Kishida said the government plans to deploy about 1,000 more SDF personnel. 

An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 5.5 hit the Noto Peninsula at 10:54 a.m. Jan. 3. It registered an intensity of upper five on the Japanese scale of seven in Wajima. 

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a heavy rain warning for Wajima early Jan. 3.

It called on residents in the Noto Peninsula to remain vigilant against landslides, rockfalls and other perils involving sediment loosened by the quake.

Agency officials said just a small amount of rainfall could exacerbate the situation as it warned residents to stay alert through the morning of Jan. 4.

In Wajima, more than 200 buildings along the “asaichi” (morning market) street, a popular tourist spot, were lost to a fire that broke out after the quake. Authorities said an area of about 4,000 square meters was gutted.

The street was lined with stores selling fresh fish from the Sea of Japan, vegetables and traditional crafts such as Wajima lacquerware.

About 33,000 households in the prefecture were without power as of 8 p.m. on Jan. 2, according to Hokuriku Electric Power Co.

Some facilities for elderly people were unable to operate electric heating appliances and devices such as aspirators.

With the water supply out of action in many areas in the prefecture, hospitals in Suzu and Wajima were considering transferring patients to other facilities, prefectural officials said.

Thirty-seven people were listed as having quake-related injuries in Toyama Prefecture as of 6 p.m. on Jan. 2. The figure for Fukui Prefecture was six as of noon that day.

West Japan Railway Co. suspended some train services in the Hokuriku region, which covers Ishikawa, Toyama, Fukui and Niigata prefectures.

A 120-centimeter tsunami reached Wajima Port at 4:21 p.m. Jan. 1, about one minute before the JMA warned that waves of 3 meters or higher could hit the coast.

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