Rescuers race against time to find survivors of Japan earthquake

Thousands of rescuers pressed on in a search for survivors of a New Year’s Day earthquake that killed at least 84 people in Japan, hoping to save as many as possible despite a three day survival window that ended on Thursday afternoon.

“We must continue putting all of our efforts into rescuing people, even beyond 72 hours after the disaster,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at a news conference.Survival rates drop off 72 hours after a quake, according to emergency responders.So far 156 people have been rescued, but at least 179 others remain unaccounted for, according to authorities.The extent of the damage from the earthquake and the tsunami it triggered remains unclear, with rescuers struggling to reach the northernmost areas of the peninsula – where much of the fatalities are – due to severed roads.Three days after disaster struck, 30 villages remain inaccessible, according to Ishikawa prefecture authorities.Material aid has trickled in but many evacuees remain largely cut off from food, water, electricity, and communications amid freezing temperatures and bad weather, authorities have also said.

via Rueters