Japanese earthquake death toll reaches 232

The number of people killed by a series of powerful earthquakes that rattled Japan’s Noto peninsula has risen to 232, the government of the Ishikawa prefecture said on January 17.

Previous casualty reports put the death toll at 222. 21 people are still listed as missing. At least 1,036 people were injured, TASS reports.

More than 1,200 earthquakes have occurred in Japan since January 1. The strongest tremor had a magnitude of 7.6, becoming the most powerful in this part of the country since records began in 1885, according to Japanese seismologists.

The Ishikawa prefecture was the hardest-hit, with at least 21,400 buildings damaged or destroyed. At least 7,800 buildings still remain disconnected from the power grid.