At Least 57 Dead In Japan Quakes, Rescue Ops Onin Affected Areas

PM Fumio Kishida said very extensive damage has been confirmed, including numerous casualties, building collapses

A powerful earthquake that hit Japan on New Year's Day killed at least 57 people, with rescue teams struggling in freezing temperatures on Tuesday to reach coastal areas where many are feared trapped under possibly thousands of destroyed homes.

In Suzu, a town of just over 5,000 households near the quake's epicentre, 90% of houses may have been destroyed, according to its mayor Masuhiro Izumiya.

"The situation is catastrophic," he said. The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck on Monday afternoon, prompting people in western coastal areas to flee to higher ground as tsunami waves swept cars and houses into the water.

Around 200 tremors have been detected since the quake first hit on Monday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, which warned that more strong shocks could hit in coming days.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the extent of damage from the quake was becoming "increasingly clear" more than 24 hours after it struck on the Noto peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture. "The government has deployed emergency rescue teams from the Self-Defence Forces, police and fire departments to the area and is doing its utmost to save lives and rescue victims and survivors, but we have received reports that there are still many people waiting to be rescued under collapsed buildings."