05 January,2024 03:35 PM IST | Tokyo | mid-day online correspondent
Death toll rose to 94/ AFP
Following the catastrophic earthquake that occurred on January 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi contacted Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan to convey India's resolute support for Japan and its people, according to a report by news agency ANI.
The agency report quoted its sources as saying that Modi, in his communication on Thursday, stressed how much India values its unique strategic alliance with Japan and promised to stand ready to help in every way India can at this difficult time.
"I am deeply anguished and concerned to learn about the major earthquake that struck Japan on January 1. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families of those who lost their lives. We stand in solidarity with Japan and its people affected by the disaster," a source quoted Modi as writing to the Japanese prime minister to ANI.
According to the report, 90 people were killed when the 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the northernmost peninsula of Japan, Noto.
Modi expressed his deep sorrow and worry about the effects of the earthquake and offered his sincere condolences to the families of the departed. He told Japan that India would stand behind it at this difficult period, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, the report added.
Over 240 individuals are still listed as missing, but the death toll has increased to 92, according to Japan's Kyodo news agency. Authorities have doubled their efforts to assist in the wake of the earthquake by increasing the number of Self-Defence forces troops engaging in rescue operations to 4,600.
Meanwhile, seventy-two hours after a series of severe earthquakes began to rattle Japan's western shore, a woman was gently removed from the rubble. In one of the most severely damaged cities in Ishikawa Prefecture, Suzu, an elderly man was discovered alive in a collapsed house on Wednesday, a report in the Associated Press stated.
Ishikawa officials said that 23 of the deceased were in Suzu and 55 were in the city of Wajima; the remaining deaths were reported in five nearby municipalities. At least 24 of over 460 injuries were severe. Reportedly, in certain locations, the sandy shoreline in western Japan moved up to 250 metres seaward, according to research from the University of Tokyo's Earthquake Research Institute.
