Thousands forced from homes by a deadly Japan earthquake on New Year’s face stress and exhaustion

By HIRO KOMAE, AYAKA MCGILL and YURI KAGEYAMA
Associated Press

WAJIMA, Japan (AP) — Thousands of people made homeless overnight are living in weariness and uncertainty on the western coast of Japan a week after a powerful earthquake left at least 180 dead and dozens missing. The rescue effort since the magnitude 7.6 New Year’s Day quake has drawn thousands of troops, firefighters and police who picked through collapsed buildings hoping to find survivors. Authorities warned of the danger of landslides, exacerbated by a heavy snowfall, throughout the quake’s epicenter on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture. At least 120 people are still unaccounted for, down from a jump to more than 300 Monday as rescuers pore over a list of the region’s population. Another 565 people were injured, and 1,414 homes were destroyed or seriously damaged.