(VOVWORLD) -At least 84 people died, 79 people were recorded as missing, and 156 were fortunately saved as a critical 72-hour window of time to find those still unaccounted for expired, Japanese authorities said on Thursday evening.
 Police and rescue dogs search for victims in the rubble of a house that collapsed after an earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, January 3, 2024. Photo: Kyodo/VNA
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The 7.6 magnitude earthquake and aftershocks jolted Ishikawa prefecture and neighboring areas on January 1. Three days after the earthquake, 30 villages remained inaccessible.
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio pledged to mobilize all resources to save lives even though the 72-hour window of time expires.
Japan's Ministry of Education and Culture reported the earthquake and aftershocks caused damage to 276 schools and 20 important cultural relics.