World News

A woman was pulled carefully from the rubble 72 hours after a series of powerful quakes started rattling Japan’s western coast. Despite rescue efforts, the death toll Friday grew to at least 94 people, and 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.

Others were forced to wait while rescuers searched for loved ones.

JAPAN DOWNGRADES TSUNAMI WARNING AFTER EARTHQUAKE ROCKS REGION, AT LEAST FOUR CONFIRMED DEAD

Ishikawa officials said 55 of those who died were in the city of Wajima and 23 were in Suzu, while the others were reported in five neighboring towns. More than 460 people have been injured, at least 24 seriously.

The Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo found that the sandy coastline in western Japan shifted by up to 250 meters (820 feet) seaward in some places.

The earthquakes set off a large fire in the town of Wajima, as well as tsunamis and landslides in the region. With some routes cut off by the destruction, worries grew about communities in which water, food, blankets and medicine had yet to arrive.

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.

JAPAN ISSUES TSUNAMI WARNINGS, ORDERS EVACUATIONS AFTER EARTHQUAKES

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.

"This is a terrible, cold place," he said.

Tomari felt at a loss thinking about his home, where broken glass and knocked over items littered the floor. It was pitch dark at night because the area was still out of power.

But Tomari and others were already thinking about rebuilding.

Sachiko Kato, who owns a clothing shop in Anamizu, put up a yellow notice as a warning inside her store where the walls have tipped slanted, and a red one for the shed in the back that was completely flattened.

"So many stores were on this street. Now, they’re all gone. Maybe we can work hard to rebuild," she said.

As of Friday, running water was not fully restored in Anamizu. Kato had to get water from a nearby river to flush the toilet.

Dozens of aftershocks have rattled Ishikawa and the neighboring region in the past week. Japan, with its crisscrossing fault lines, is an extremely quake-prone nation. Weather forecasts called for rain and snow over the weekend, and experts warned of more aftershocks.

The region affected by the latest 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.

EARTHQUAKES IN JAPAN KILL AT LEAST 48 AS OFFICIALS RACE TO SAVE PEOPLE TRAPPED IN HOMES

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."

Sachiko Takagi, who owns a kimono shop on a street lined with picturesque stores in Wajima, said she was lucky her 80-year-old store — inherited over generations — was still standing. Others were not so lucky.

"These people do not have the energy to start something from scratch," she said. "I really wonder what will happen to this street."

North Korea fired hundreds of artillery rounds along its sea boundary with neighboring South Korea in violation of a 2018 military agreement, Seoul's defense ministry said.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired 200 rounds in the waters north of their disputed western sea boundary. South Korea suffered no damages, it said.

Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung Joon said the North's artillery firing was "an act of provocation that threatens peace and heightens tensions on the Korean Peninsula." South Korea also urged North Korea to stop further provocations.

The North’s front-line maritime firing exercise was the first of its kind in about a year, escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

KIM JONG UN REVEALS NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION TO MAKE MORE NUKES AND LAUNCH MILITARY SATELLITES

The last time South Korea accused North Korea of violating the deal on the buffer zones was in December 2022, when the North conducted firing drills off the Korean Peninsula's east coast.

The 2018 agreement created no-fly and buffer zones along their border, in which the two Koreas agreed to halt live-fire exercises and aerial surveillance.

Lee said South Korea's military will respond to the North's artillery firing as it continuously monitors North Korean moves, in close coordination with the United States.

While the Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson did not provide specifics on what corresponding step South Korea would take, residents of South Korea’s front-line island of Yeonpyeong said military officials have asked them to evacuate because it plans to launch maritime firing drills.

KIM JONG UN TELLS MILITARY LEADERS TO MOBILIZE MOST POWERFUL MEANS TO DESTROY ENEMIES, INCLUDING US: REPORTS

The Koreas' western sea boundary played host to bloody naval clashes in 1999, 2002 and 2009. In 2010, there was another clash that left 46 South Korean sailors dead.

Earlier Friday, North Korea's state media said Kim ordered authorities to increase production of vehicles capable of launching missiles ahead of a potential military showdown with its enemies.

Kim has also ordered Northern officials to use every weapon at its disposal — including nuclear weapons — in a potential armed conflict with South Korea and the U.S.

These aggressive actions from the North come ahead of the South's parliamentary elections in April and the United States presidential election in November.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A 51-year-old American and his two daughters have died in the Caribbean after the aircraft they were traveling in "plummeted into the ocean" moments after takeoff, officials say. 

The Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force said the small, one-engine aircraft owned and piloted by Robert Sachs, a resident of the island of Bequia, crashed into the sea about one nautical mile west of the island of Petit Nevis around midday Thursday. 

"The aircraft went airborne from the J.F. Mitchell Airport in Paget Farm about 12:11 p.m. for St. Lucia as its final destination. Moments after taking off, the aircraft experienced difficulties and plummeted into the ocean," police said in a Facebook post. 

"Fishermen and divers from Paget Farm went to the scene of the incident in their boats to render assistance. The SVG Coast Guard was informed and quickly traveled to Paget Farm, Bequia, to lead in the rescue efforts," it added. 

MAN FOUND DEAD AT SALT LAKE CITY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AFTER CLIMBING INTO PLANE ENGINE 

Police identified the victims as Sachs and his three passengers onboard: Christian Klepser — who is from the United States — and his daughters, Madita, 10, and Annik, 12. 

"The four bodies of the aforementioned persons were recovered from the aircraft/sea by Coast Guard personnel and were later pronounced deceased by a medical practitioner," the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force said.

It’s not immediately clear what caused the plane to crash. An investigation is ongoing. 

PASSENGERS OF JAPANESE PLANE SPEAK OUT AFTER FIERY COLLISION: ‘IT WAS HELL’ 

The local news website Searchlight reported that Sachs owned a dive business in Bequia and last radioed the airport’s control tower to inform them that he was experiencing difficulties and was turning around.

Police say the bodies have now been transported to the island of St. Vincent and are being looked at by a medical examiner. 

"The RSVGPF expresses condolences to all who are negatively affected by this tragic incident," it added. "The RSVGPF will update the public as more information is gathered."