A 7.6 magnitude earthquake, which at its epicenter was ranked shindo 7 — the highest level on Japan’s intensity scale — struck Ishikawa Prefecture’s Noto Peninsula on Monday afternoon as the nation was marking New Year’s Day, a time when families traditionally gather at home and most of the country takes a break from work and school.
On Tuesday, rescue personnel continued a race against time to find survivors in buildings collapsed by the quake or buried under landslides.
Many residents are facing harsh conditions, lacking crucial utilities such as water, gas and electricity.
Meanwhile, stations were packed as people attempted to return to their homes or flee the area.
Here are scenes from the aftermath of the New Year's Day quake.
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Damaged houses, including one totally collapsed, in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Tuesday
| AFP-JIJI
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A car stuck in a large road fissure near Ujima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Tuesday
| REUTERS
Smoke rises over a massive fire in Wajima that burned most of the town's famed market area.
| JIJI
Smoke rising from an area following a large fire in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Tuesday
| AFP-JIJI
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Wajima residents shelter in a greenhouse following the strong earthquake on New Year's Day.
| JIJI
Empty shelves in a convenience store near Toyama Station around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday
| JORDAN ALLEN
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SDF members and firefighters rescue a Wajima resident on Tuesday.
| JAPAN DEFENSE MINISTRY JOINT STAFF OFFICE
People line up around the town hall in Shika, Ishikawa Prefecture, as they wait to receive water at a distribution point on Tuesday.
| AFP-JIJI
