Photo/Illutration Police and firefighters search on Jan. 9 in an area of Wajima's commercial district destroyed by fire on New Year's Day. (Masaru Komiyaji)

Deaths attributed to the Noto Peninsula earthquake on New Year's Day have exceeded 200, according to the Ishikawa prefectural government.

Prefectural officials said there were 206 deaths as of 2 p.m. on Jan. 10.

The number includes six people in Suzu who are believed to have died indirectly from the New Year’s Day earthquake and tsunami as well as one resident of Noto.

The causes include the worsening of pre-existing medical conditions or injuries suffered during the natural disaster after survivors took refuge at evacuation centers.

This was the first time that the Ishikawa prefectural government announced indirect deaths from the disasters.

About 26,000 residents were being housed at 404 evacuation centers set up in 15 Ishikawa municipalities. Efforts were being made to move elderly evacuees to other locations that are safer and out of the range of the daily temblors continuing to strike the Noto Peninsula region.

Many of the evacuation centers in Ishikawa also remain without electricity or a water supply.

The prefectural government is using a large gymnasium in Kanazawa city to temporarily house evacuees before having them move to secondary evacuation centers at hotels and inns that could provide more comfortable accommodations.

There were still 3,123 residents in 22 communities of three municipalities who remain cut off from the outside world due to quake damage and not receiving adequate food and other supplies.

Police and firefighters conducted a major search on Jan. 9 in a commercial district of Wajima that was destroyed by fire on New Year’s Day.

The government the same day approved using 4.74 billion yen ($32.7 million) from the current fiscal year’s reserve fund to pay for relief supplies for the quake-damaged areas.

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