Japan Seeks Survivors After Quake Kills at Least 48 (Correct)

The death toll from a powerful earthquake that toppled buildings in the Noto Peninsula on Japan’s northwest coast rose to nearly 50 as rescue workers searched for survivors trapped under rubble.

One of the places hardest hit from Monday’s magnitude-7.6 tremor was Wajima, a city of about 23,000 people known for its lacquerware and fishing port on the Sea of Japan. A fire in the heart of the city after the quake engulfed about 200 homes and shops, Kyodo News reported, and prefectural officials said at least 19 people have been confirmed dead in the city.

Smoke rising from an area following a large fire in Wajima on Jan. 2.

Source: AFP/Getty Images

Aftershocks were rattling ...