Death toll in Japan's quake-hit Ishikawa prefecture rises to 220

Tokyo, Jan 14 (IANS) The death toll from the devastating 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan's Ishikawa prefecture on January 1, increased to 220 on Sunday, while 20 people still unaccounted for, according to authorities.

Strong winds, snow and high waves are expected in northern and eastern Japan from Sunday evening through Tuesday as the winter pressure pattern strengthened, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) as saying.

Winds of up to 72 kilometers per hour are forecast in the quake-hit Hokuriku region and Niigata Prefecture, with gusts of over 108 kilometers per hour on Sunday.

A cold air mass is expected to move in over the Hokuriku region and Niigata Prefecture from Monday through Tuesday, bringing heavy snow to areas on the Sea of Japan coast.

Meanwhile, since the powerful quake struck Ishikawa prefecture, tremors with an intensity of 1 or greater on the country's seven-tier scale system have been recorded 1,368 times as of 4 p.m. on Saturday, the JMA said.

The weather agency said people could face strong tremors with an intensity of 5 or higher for about another month.