The Japanese government on Sunday designated the powerful earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in central Japan on Monday as a "specified emergency disaster" in an effort to reduce the burden on disaster victims, Kyodo News reported.

In quake-hit Ishikawa prefecture, at least 2,318 people were stranded due to roads being cut off, local authorities said on Sunday. The Wajima City mayor ordered residents to evacuate to avoid a possible large-scale landslide.