The death toll from the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan’s west coast on Monday has risen to at least 30, according to Ishikawa prefecture authorities on Tuesday.
Earlier Tuesday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters after a disaster emergency meeting that a destroyed road had cut access to the area.
Rescuers were still working to reach people trapped under collapsed buildings, he said.
The quake shook the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Monday afternoon, collapsing buildings, sparking fires and triggering tsunami alerts as far away as eastern Russia.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency lifted all tsunami advisories along portions of the country’s western coast Tuesday, but almost 24 hours after the quake struck, there has been limited access to the northern part of the secluded Noto Peninsula. (CNN)