Japanese rescuers are racing against time to find more survivors following the devastating magnitude 7.5 quake in central Japan on Monday.
The death toll for the quake has climbed to 77 and thousands of rescuers are hoping to save as many as they can as the three-day survival day limit lessens the chances of finding more people trapped in the rubble.
“There’s little time left until it’s 72 hours since the quake,” Masuhiro Izumiya, the mayor of hard-hit Suzu city, said in a disaster response meeting.
Emergency responders added that survival rates go down after 72 hours every year after disasters.
“Compared to other disasters the road situation in Wajima is very bad. I feel it’s taking longer than usual for assistance to arrive,” Shunsaku Kohriki, a medical worker, told Reuters.
“I think realistically speaking the evacuees will have to live in really tough conditions for a while yet,” he said.
More than 33,000 people have evacuated from Ishikawa prefecture following the devastating quake.
