The death toll from the Japanese earthquake rises to 200

TOKYO, (ST) – The death toll from the earthquake that struck Ishikawa Prefecture and its surrounding areas in central Japan last week has risen to 200 people.

The Japanese Kyodo agency quoted local authorities as saying today: The number of victims as a result of the earthquake has reached more than 200, as part of a large-scale search for victims or missing persons under the rubble.

The agency said: In the wake of the earthquake, a fire broke out in a popular market in the city of Wajima, damaging about 200 wooden buildings dating back more than a thousand years.

It added that the earthquake also led to the evacuation of more than 28,000 people in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Yesterday’s toll indicated that the death toll from the earthquake that struck Ishikawa Prefecture and its surrounding areas in central Japan last week had risen to 168 dead and 323 missing.

Raghda Sawas