Many people were injured and the number of people missing is unknown, according to the police headquarters of the Japanese prefecture.

The powerful earthquake, registered the day before in the Noto peninsula, caused severe structural damage in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa, as well as a large-scale fire that consumed more than a hundred buildings including homes and commercial establishments.

Efforts to extinguish the fire continue and firefighters are assessing the extent of human damage, reported NHK news channel.

Major damage is also reported in Niigata, Fukui, Toyama and Gifu prefectures.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry reported that about 34,000 homes were without electricity.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a press conference that the Self-Defense Forces, Japan Coast Guard, fire department, police and other relevant agencies were mobilized to the affected areas.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated in a news conference that the Self-Defense Forces, Japan Coast Guard, fire department, police and other relevant agencies have been mobilized to the affected areas.”We are using all possible means to move our troops to the site and will gradually begin to recover lives,” he said.

Seismic activity continues in the center of the country, while the risk of house collapses and landslides increases in the places where the tremor had greater intensity.Incidentally, Kishida stressed that residents should put safety first and avoid entering dangerous areas.He also asked the public to refrain from spreading false information on social media.

Last night, local time, waves of up to 1.2 meters impacted the port of Wajima, but this morning the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) lifted all tsunami warnings activated shortly after the earthquake.In the wake of the incident, the Japanese imperial family canceled a public New Year’s greeting event planned for Tuesday in Tokyo.jrr/lam/lcp