Death toll rises to 180 in Japan's quake-hit Ishikawa prefecture

TOKYO, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The death toll climbed to 180 in the central Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa as of 9 a.m. local time on Tuesday after a series of earthquakes of up to 7.6 magnitude struck the prefecture and its vicinity last week, local media reported.

Of the deaths, 81 had been confirmed in Wajima City, 71 in Suzu City, 18 in Anamizu Town, five in Nanao City, two each in the towns of Noto and Shika, and one in Hakui City, public broadcaster NHK said.

Meanwhile, at least 565 people in Ishikawa suffered injuries due to the quakes, the report said.

As of 4 a.m. local time on Tuesday, the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture has recorded 1,248 tremors rated at least 1 on the country's seven-point seismic intensity scale in the week that followed the powerful earthquake on New Year's Day, according to NHK.

The 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake is the first to kill more than 100 people in Japan since the 2016 Kumamoto quakes in the country's southwestern region that claimed 276 lives.