At least 161 people have died as a result of the 7.6-magnitude earthquake in Japan, and 103 people are missing.
This was reported by the Japanese news agency Kyodo News.
Rescuers continue to search for hundreds of people who are believed to be missing, but snow and rain are hampering the rescue operation.
Up to 13 centimeters of snow fell in the cities of earthquake-hit Ishikawa Prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported.
More than 2 300 people in the prefecture are almost isolated, mostly due to the broken roads.
According to local authorities, as of Sunday, more than 28 000 people stayed in shelters — they lost their homes or were forced to evacuate to save their lives.
- On January 1, a series of powerful earthquakes occurred in central Japan. The magnitude of the strongest one reached 7.6. The authorities announced the threat of a serious tsunami and called on local residents to evacuate immediately — they warned of waves that could reach five meters. On the same day, at least 36 000 households in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures were without power. The natural disaster also caused a large-scale fire in the city of Wajimi.