Japan earthquake death count rises over 100 in aftermath of 7.5 tremblor

The magnitude 7.5 quake struck at 4:10 p.m. local time on Monday near the northern coast of the Noto Peninsula in the Ishigawa prefecture.

ISHIGAWA, Japan – The death toll of the New Year’s Day earthquake that struck western Japan has risen to 110, according to Ishigawa government officials.

The magnitude 7.5 quake struck at 4:10 p.m. local time on Monday near the northern coast of the Noto Peninsula in the Ishigawa prefecture.

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Residents walk past a collapsed building at the Jyuzo shrine in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture on January 6, 2024, after a major 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Noto region on New Year's Day. (Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP)

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A man looks through the burned Wajima Asa-ichi, or morning market area, in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, on January 5, 2024, after a major 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Noto region on New Year's Day. (TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA / AFP)

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Traffic (L) passes along a newly paved road next to a car which remains stuck in the old pavement in the city of Anamizu, Ishikawa prefecture, on January 6, 2024, after a major 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Noto region on New Year's Day. (TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA / AFP)

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Rescuers search for missing victims at a landslide site in the Kawashima district in the city of Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on January 6, 2024, after a major 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Noto region on New Year's Day.  (Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP)

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NANAO, JAPAN - JANUARY 02: A house damaged by an earthquake is seen on January 02, 2024 in Nanao, Japan. The Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture was struck by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake on New Years Day. The earthquake was followed by a series of tremors that triggered a tsunami warning for Japan's western coastline. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images) (Buddhika Weerasinghe)

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A damaged vehicle under a collapsed house following an earthquake in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. At least 13 people were killed and scores injured in a powerful earthquake that hit off the Noto Peninsula on Japan's northwest coast, toppling buildings, buckling roads and triggering a blaze that ripped through a city. Photographer: Soichiro Koriyama/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Soichiro Koriyama/Bloomberg)

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TOPSHOT - This aerial photo provided by Jiji Press shows a rescue vehicle (C) parked next to a seven-storey building which fell over in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture on January 2, 2024, a day after a major 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Noto region in Ishikawa prefecture. Japanese rescuers battled against the clock and powerful aftershocks on January 2 to find survivors of a major earthquake that struck on New Year's Day, killing at least 30 people and causing widespread destruction. (Photo by JIJI PRESS / AFP) / Japan OUT (Photo by STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images) (JIJI PRESS / AFP)

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This aerial photo provided by Jiji Press shows smoke rising from an area following a large fire in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture on January 2, 2024, a day after a major 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Noto region in Ishikawa prefecture. Japanese rescuers battled against the clock and powerful aftershocks on January 2 to find survivors of a major earthquake that struck on New Year's Day, killing at least 30 people and causing widespread destruction. (Photo by JIJI PRESS / AFP) / Japan OUT (Photo by STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images) (JIJI PRESS / AFP)

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TOPSHOT - This aerial photo provided by Jiji Press shows smoke rising from an area following a large fire in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture on January 2, 2024, a day after a major 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Noto region in Ishikawa prefecture. Japanese rescuers battled against the clock and powerful aftershocks on January 2 to find survivors of a major earthquake that struck on New Year's Day, killing at least 30 people and causing widespread destruction. (Photo by JIJI PRESS / AFP) / Japan OUT (Photo by STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images) (JIJI PRESS / AFP)

The main earthquake followed a magnitude 5.5 foreshock about 4 minutes earlier, and it has since produced hundreds of aftershocks, the U.S. Geological Survey said. One of those measured at a magnitude 6.2.

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It has been a race against time to rescue survivors of the earthquake as bad weather and freezing temperatures have caused additional challenges to relief efforts.

Starting on Jan. 7 at 7 a.m. local time, officials said they will close traffic to all general vehicles to allow emergency transport vehicles to reach the affected areas of Ishigawa prefecture as quickly as possible.

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Monday's earthquake in Japan was the deadliest since 2016, when a 7.3 magnitude quake hit Kumamoto, claiming more than 220 lives.