A 90-year-old woman was rescued alive from the rubble of the earthquake in Japan

A 90-year-old woman survived a collapsed house 124 hours after a powerful earthquake struck western Japan, killing at least 126 people. A resident of Suzu, located at the northern tip of the badly damaged Noto Peninsula, survived the 7.6-magnitude earthquake for more than five days.


Nationally broadcast news reports showed helmeted rescuers covering areas where the woman could not be seen with blue plastic. His condition was unclear.

After the first 72 hours, your chances of survival drop dramatically. Authorities said about 200 people were still missing.

Among the 126 people who died was a 5-year-old boy who was recovering from injuries sustained when boiling water was poured on his body during the quake. Authorities in Ishikawa Prefecture, which includes the Noto Peninsula, said his condition suddenly worsened and he died on Friday.

Most of the deaths reported so far have occurred in Wajima and Suzu, the northern regions of the peninsula where major fires have broken out. More than 500 people were injured, at least 27 seriously.

In Suzu, where dozens of homes were destroyed, a dog barked to announce the tragic news as an AFP crew filmed the clean-up operation. "Disaster rescue dog training starts with something similar to a game of hide-and-seek," dog trainer Masayo Kikuchi told the news agency.

"Eventually, they were trained to bark when they saw someone under the rubble."

The home where a deceased person has been identified is left alone until family members can identify the body. 'Very difficult'

Continuing aftershocks threatened to bury many homes and block vital roads for the transport of aid. With rain and snow forecast for Sunday, officials warned that roads already bent and cracked by the quake could completely collapse. Shiro Kokuda, 76, said his childhood home in Wajima was not damaged, but a nearby temple burned and he was still looking for friends in an evacuation shelter.

"It was very hard," he said. Although electricity was gradually restored along Japan's coast, water shortages persisted.

Thousands of troops flew in, delivering water, food and medicine to more than 30,000 people who had taken refuge in classrooms, schools and other facilities. The National Yomiuri Shimbun reported that aerial images showed more than 100 landslides in the area, blocking some major roads.

Some communities, such as the tsunami-hit coastal community of Shiromaru, were still waiting for help. Waves several meters high left behind debris of wood, metal and plastic.

"The tsunami came from Shiromaru Bay across the river and hit the streets," said Toshio Sakashita, one of about 100 residents. "We have no public support here," the 69-year-old told AFP. "The main road is still closed due to debris." "We can no longer live in our house," said 82-year-old Yukio Teraoka as he and his wife shoveled heavy, wet sand from their destroyed home.