Survivor Rescued 72 Hours After Japan Quakes

A woman was pulled carefully from the rubble on Thursday, 72 hours after a series of powerful quakes started rattling Japan's western coast. The woman was taken to a hospital after she was found trapped under her destroyed home. Despite rescue efforts, the death toll Friday grew to at least 94 people. The number of missing was lowered to 222 after it shot up the previous day. An older man was found alive Wednesday in a collapsed home in Suzu, one of the hardest-hit cities in Ishikawa Prefecture. His daughter called out, "Dad, dad," as a flock of firefighters got him out on a stretcher, praising him for holding on for so long after Monday's 7.6 magnitude earthquake, the AP reports

The United States announced $100,000 in aid Friday, including blankets, water, and medical supplies, and promised more help would come. Dodgers major leaguer Shohei Ohtani also announced aid for the Noto area, though he did not disclose the amount. Thousands of Japanese troops have joined the effort to reach the hardest-hit spots on the Noto Peninsula, the center of the quake, connected by a narrow land strip to the rest of the main island of Honshu. Experts warned of disease and even death at the evacuation centers that now house about 34,000 people who lost their homes, many of them older.

Masashi Tomari, a 67-year-old oyster farmer who lives in Anamizu city in Ishikawa, said it was tough sleeping on the floor with just one blanket. There was no heating until two stoves finally arrived Thursday—three days after the 7.6 quake struck. The region affected by the quakes is famous for its craftwork, including lacquerware, knives, ceramics, candles, and kimono fabric. Tsutomu Ishikawa, who oversees a resin company called Aras that makes fashionable plates and cups, said no lives were lost around him, but the atelier was seriously damaged. He apologized for delayed deliveries and expressed determination to pick up and rebuild, while acknowledging the challenges. "We are feeling a deep helplessness that works we created with so much love are gone," he said. (More Japan stories.)