A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Japan on 1 January, leaving 48 dead and destroying hundreds of buildings.
7.6 is a major earthquake on the Richter scale, and the initial earthquake was followed by many smaller tremors, reaching as high as 4.9 magnitude.
The earthquake occurred at 07:10 UTC, in the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the earthquake or by fires that followed. Roads and power infrastructure were also damaged, leaving over 30,000 people without power and affecting rescue efforts.
Rescue operations continued since the earthquake, and over 57,000 people were evacuated. The death toll risked to rise in the aftermath as the search continued, but thousands of emergency responders worked through the debris to find any survivors.
The area was put on alert for the impact of further tremors and tsunami warnings were in place following the earthquake, but were later lifted.