Death toll from New Year's Day quake in Japan rises to 168

The death toll after the severe earthquake on the west coast of Japan on New Year's Day has risen to 168 as of Monday.

There were still 323 people missing, according to the Ishikawa Prefecture, with both figures rising dramatically over the last two days.

The city of Wajima has 281 people missing.

The major quake, which struck the prefecture and neighbouring areas on Monday last week, reached a magnitude of 7.6.

On Saturday, rescue workers had pulled a 90-year-old woman alive from the rubble of a destroyed house in the coastal town of Suzu. Doctors had described the rescue as a rare event.

The first 72 hours after such a disaster are considered crucial. After that, the chances of survival for trapped people drop significantly, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Mountains of rubble, damaged roads, landslides and aftershocks made it difficult for the search and rescue teams. According to reports in the Japanese media, including broadcaster NHK, their work was also hampered by snowfall.

The government had sent additional soldiers to the disaster area to support the search.