Tokyo, : Three full days have passed since a major earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula on the Sea of Japan coast, and rescue operations continue. The survival rate is said to drop significantly after 72 hours.
The Ishikawa prefectural government says it has confirmed at least 92 deaths. 242 people were still unaccounted for as of Thursday night.
In Wajima City, a woman in her 80s was rescued on Thursday afternoon and immediately taken to the hospital. Officials say she was conscious.
A man in his 90s and his granddaughter in her 20s were among the victims.
They died on an island off the Noto Peninsula, reportedly trapped under a barn that collapsed in the quake.
About 780 people in the prefecture remain cut off, officials added.
In Wajima City, about 60 people — including foreigners and babies — are isolated at roadside rest areas.
Officials say that most of them are tourists. With little gas left in their cars, they are finding it difficult to stay warm.
The delivery of relief supplies to the disaster-hit areas is taking two to three times longer than usual due to poor road conditions.
