HIRO KOMAE/AP
Ambulances carry rockslides and landslides that hit Wajima Highway on the Noto Peninsula facing the Sea of Japan, northwest of Tokyo, on Saturday, Jan. 6, following Monday’s deadly earthquake.
WAJIMA, Japan — A woman in her 90s pulled herself out of a collapsed space Saturday afternoon in western Japan, 124 hours after a first earthquake struck the region, killing at least 126 people, sparking buildings and triggering landslides.
The woman from Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, survived more than five days after the magnitude 7. 6 earthquake struck the region on Monday. National news footage showed rescuers wearing helmets covering the domain with blue plastic, and the woman was not visible.
Survival problems are minimized after the first 72 hours. Other impressive rescues have been reported in recent days, as soldiers, firefighters and others have joined a giant operation.
Among the 126 dead was a 5-year-old boy who had been recovering from injuries he suffered when boiling water spilled on him during Monday’s 7.6 magnitude earthquake. His condition suddenly worsened and he died Friday, according to Ishikawa prefecture, the hardest-hit region.
The aftershocks threatened to bury more homes and block roads for aid delivery. Authorities have warned that already cracked roads could collapse completely. This threat increases with rain and snow forecast overnight and Sunday.
Wajima City recorded the number of deaths with 69, followed by Suzu with 38. More than 500 people were injured, at least 27 of them seriously.
The earthquakes left roofs on the roads and everything crushed. The roads were warped like rubber. A chimney burned a community in Wajima to ashes.
More than 200 people are still missing, although their number fluctuates. Eleven other people were reportedly trapped under two collapsed houses in Anamizu.
For Shiro Kokuda, 76, the house in Wajima where he grew up was spared but a nearby temple went up in flames and he was still looking for his friends at evacuation centers.
“It’s been tough,” he said.
Japan is one of the world’s most rapidly aging societies. The population of Ishikawa and the surrounding areas has declined over the years. A fragile economy focused on crafts and tourism is now more in danger than ever.
In a move by neighboring North Korea, leader Kim Jong Un sent a message of condolences to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the official Korean news firm reported on Saturday.
Japan had already received messages of sympathy and peace pledges from U. S. President Joe Biden and other allies.
Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that Japan appreciates all the messages, adding those from North Korea. Hayashi said the last time Japan got a message of condolences from North Korea for a crisis was in 1995.
Along the Japanese coast, electrical power was gradually being restored, but the water source remained insufficient. Emergency water supply systems were also damaged.
Thousands of troops were flying and trucking in water, food and medicine to the more than 30,000 people who had evacuated to auditoriums, schools and other facilities.
The national Yomiuri newspaper reported that its aerial reconnaissance detected more than 100 landslides in the area, some of which were blocking major roads. Some communities remain isolated and are still waiting for help.
“I hope the city recovers, and I hope other people don’t leave and stay here to work hard towards recovery,” said Seizo Shinbo, a seafood trader, who stocked up on noodles, canned goods and rice balls at a supermarket.
“There’s no food. There is no water. And the worst thing is gasoline. People still queue for miles.
Associated Press Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.
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