More than 80 people died after a powerful earthquake in Japan

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake occurred in Ishikawa, Japan. More than 80 people were killed, and about 80 people remain missing.

The death toll from the earthquake in central Japan on New Year's Day exceeded 80 people, and about 80 more were missing in Ishikawa Prefecture as of Thursday, and search and rescue operations continued, UNN writes, citing Kyodo.

In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for “every effort” to save as many lives as possible in the first 72 hours after the magnitude 7.6 quake, after which survival rates for victims are reported to plummet.

The government plans to allocate approximately 4 billion yen ($28 million) in reserve funds to strengthen the response, while doubling the number of Self-Defense Force members involved in rescue operations and other activities to 4,600.

The full extent of the damage is not yet clear due to damaged roads and communications disruptions in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Many people are still believed to be trapped under the rubble of the hard-hit coastal town of Wajima, where a large market caught fire and burned. About 750 people were stranded in areas such as Wajima and surrounding Suzu as roads leading to disaster-hit areas were cut off by the aftershocks.

A Maritime Self-Defense Force transport vessel arrived off the coast of Wajima and unloaded heavy equipment that will be used to eliminate the consequences of the natural disaster.

There are also growing concerns that rainy weather on Wednesday could trigger landslides in quake-hit areas.

As of Thursday, about 34,000 people in Ishikawa Prefecture remained in evacuation centers. At least 200 buildings collapsed or were partially damaged, according to the central government.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said Monday's quake, which struck the Noto Peninsula at 4:10 p.m. local time, was centered about 30 kilometers east-northeast of Wajima.