By Xinhua,
Tokyo : Rescue and relief efforts continued Sunday as some 1,200 rescue workers are still searching for 16 people who have been reported missing in Japan’s earthquake-jolting northeastern areas.
Rescue workers, consisting of members of the Self-Defense Forces, firefighters and police officers, have been carrying out their rescue operations in the worst-hit Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture and other areas locations since the 7.2-magnitude quake occurred at 8:43 a.m. Saturday (2343 GMT Friday).
According to statistics released by authorities, the quake has claimed at least six lives and left some 200 injured.
Hills were scarred, roads torn up and a 95-meter bridge knocked down in mountainous areas in Miyagi, Akita and Iwate prefectures, Kyodo News reported.
East Japan Railway Co. said it resumed normal operations of the Akita and Tohoku shinkansen bullet trains early Sunday morning.