Rescuers are in a race against time as they search for survivors of a powerful earthquake which rocked Japan’s western coast on Thursday, leaving at least 78 dead and 51 missing.
Among those missing are a 13-year-old boy, officials said, as the list of those missing grew from 15 to 51 overnight.
A downpour and possible snow have also been forecast, which could raise the risk of landslides.
Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas were hit by more aftershocks, adding to the dozens that followed Monday's magnitude 7.6 quake centred near Noto, about 185 miles from Tokyo on the opposite coast.
The quake set off tsunami warnings, followed by waves measuring more than 3 feet in some places.
“More than 40 hours have passed. This is a race against time, and I feel that we are at a critical moment," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday.
Experts say the first 72 hours are especially critical for rescues, as the chances for survival greatly diminish after that.
On Thursday, Mr Kishida announced that the number of troops dispatched for rescue operations is increasing from about 1,000 to 4,600.
The narrowness of the Noto Peninsula has added to the challenges in reaching some communities. Water, power and cellphone service were still down in some areas.
Naomi Gonno said she and her children got out of their house just as it came crashing down.
But her children were screaming “Granma," and Ms Gonno saw that her mother was trapped under the smashed house, with only her hand visible.
She was able to squeeze her way out through a tiny space, Gonno said.
"I can't believe we're still alive," she told reporters. “We are living in fear."
Ishikawa officials raised the death toll on Thursday to 78. Of the dead, 44 people were in Wajima and 23 in Suzu, with the rest in five towns.
More than 330 people have been injured, at least 25 of them seriously. About 34,000 people are staying in evacuation centres.
In the aftermath of the quakes and tsunami, boats lay overturned in the sea, roads were blocked by mounds of dirt, and pillars and walls lay scattered from flattened homes.
A large fire turned an entire section of Wajima city into ashes.
Officials have warned that more major quakes could follow.
Japan is prone to earthquakes, with many fault lines and volcanoes. A massive quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in 2011 caused widespread damage in northeastern Japan.
