Death toll from Japan’s earthquakes rises to 100

WAJIMA, Japan — The death toll following earthquakes in western Japan earlier in the week has risen to 100 on Saturday.

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The death toll reached 98 earlier in the day but a couple of deaths were added from Anamizu, according to The Associated Press. Anamizu is in the Ishikawa Prefecture, which was the hardest-hit area.

“I am keenly aware of the extent of the damage caused,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said as the toll crossed 100, according to Reuters. The death toll is the highest since the toll of 276 in earthquakes in 2016 in Kumamoto.

Japan’s Self-Defence Forces is expected to reinforce rescue staff from 400 to 5,400, Reuters reported.

Fifty-nine of the dead were in Wajima with 23 killed in Suzu. The others were in other towns nearby, the AP reported. More than 500 people have been injured as a result of the earthquake. At least 27 of the 500 are seriously injured.

The earthquake on Monday was 7.6 magnitude.

Officials in Ishikawa Prefecture held a daily meeting on Saturday. The number of missing went down to 211 after it rose a couple of days ago, the AP reported.

A man was pulled out of the rubble 72 hours after multiple earthquakes, the AP reported. Another older man was found Wednesday in a collapsed house in Suzu. Other people were forced to wait as rescuers continued to search.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani donated $1 million to support victims of the earthquake, KNBC reported.

“Our thoughts are with all of Japan in the wake of this tragedy,” the Dodgers wrote on Instagram Thursday, according to the news outlet.

Ohtani is from Japan and has been playing baseball in the United States since 2018, KNBC reported. He recently signed with the Dodgers in a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract.

“I would like to thank those who have joined in the recovery effort, and my hope is that we continue to come together to support those whose lives have been upended,” Ohtani said in a statement on social media, according to the news outlet. “I hope for the rapid rescue of missing persons and the reconstruction of the disaster-stricken areas.”

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Destruction days after powerful earthquakes in Japan WAJIMA, JAPAN - JANUARY 05: The Asaichi Yokocho, or Wajima Morning Market, area, is seen after a fire incident following an earthquake on January 05, 2024 in Wajima, Japan. On New Year's Day, a series of major earthquakes reportedly killed at least 92 people, injured dozens more and destroyed a large amount of homes. The earthquakes, the biggest measuring 7.1 magnitude, hit the areas around Ishikawa, Toyama and Niigata in central Japan. (Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images) (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)

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