The death toll has risen to 84 in the central Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa, with dozens of people still missing after a series of earthquakes of up to magnitude 7.6 struck the prefecture and its vicinity, amid ongoing rescue efforts nearly three days after the disaster.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged officials to mobilize all available resources to maximize life-saving efforts and lifeline supply within the first 72 hours of the disaster at a meeting of the emergency disaster response headquarters on Thursday.

A series of strong earthquakes, with a major one of magnitude 7.6, struck at a shallow depth in the Noto region of Ishikawa on Monday. The Japan Meteorological Agency has officially named it the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.

(With input from Xinhua)