Death toll rises to 206 in Japan's quake-hit Ishikawa Prefecture

TOKYO -- The death toll rose to 206 in the central Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa as of Wednesday afternoon, nine days after a series of strong quakes of up to 7.6 magnitude jolted the prefecture and its vicinity, according to local authorities.

The prefectural government confirmed 91 deaths in Suzu city, 83 in Wajima city, 20 in Anamizu Town, five in Nanao city, four in Noto town, two in Shika town and one in Hakui city as of 2:00 pm local time.

The death toll includes eight disaster-related deaths, meaning that the victims survived the quakes but died due to deteriorating injuries or illnesses caused by physical and mental strain in the aftermath of the disaster.

Meanwhile, the number of people unaccounted for dropped to 52 in the hardest-hit prefecture, while at least 567 people have been injured due to the quakes.

Many people may still be unable to report whether they are safe or not due to shortfalls in communications and severed traffic routes. The names of those unaccounted for are deleted from the official website as soon as their whereabouts are confirmed, Ishikawa officials said.

Over 26,000 people are staying at temporary shelters, while some 3,100 residents remain cut off due to damaged roads, they added.

The prefectural government is temporarily transferring evacuees to other locations away from disaster-stricken areas as it tries to secure more comfortable accommodations. Evacuees in Ishikawa's Wajima on Wednesday boarded buses bound for a prefectural sports center in Kanazawa, Kyodo News reported.

The central government is expected to arrange accommodations for approximately 10,000 evacuees in Ishikawa, Toyama, Fukui, and Niigata prefectures within the week, the report said.