Central Japan quake death toll tops 200, over 100 unaccounted for

The death toll from a powerful New Year's Day earthquake that struck Ishikawa Prefecture and surrounding areas in central Japan has surpassed 200, with over 100 people still missing, as a large-scale search operation started at a severely hit area, local authorities said Tuesday.Local police will conduct the operation for several days, deploying around 100 personnel around a gutted market in Wajima, where a major blaze broke out following the magnitude-7.6 quake.As of Tuesday afternoon, 202 people were confirmed dead with 102 unaccounted for, the prefectural government said. The figure incl…READ FULL ARTICLE