Japanese authorities say the death toll from the Ishikawa prefecture earthquake has risen to 62.
The Associated Press quoted officials of Ishikawa province as saying on Wednesday that most of the casualties were reported from the cities of Wajima and Suzu.
Over 300 more people were wounded in the quake, officials said, adding the search and rescue operation was still going on.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has so far detected 149 aftershocks and warned of more powerful tremors in coming days.
A magnitude 7.6 temblor slammed Hokkaido Island two days ago (Monday), shaking buildings, closing roads and cutting power supply to 300,000 houses.
Fires have destroyed more than 200 homes. More than 100 buildings collapsed after tremors, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
Seismologists warn aftershocks will continue for about a week. There is a risk of more powerful earthquakes with magnitudes above 7.
Japan is an earthquake-prone country, where about 1,500 earthquakes occur annually.
aw/mud
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