UPDATE - Japan quake death toll rises to 48 as troops join rescue, relief efforts

UPDATES WITH LATEST DEATH TOLL, REVISES HEADLINE, LEDE

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - The death toll from powerful earthquakes in Japan has climbed to 48, as the country deployed troops for rescue and relief operations.

According to the country's public broadcaster NHK, all 48 people have been confirmed dead in Ishikawa province, located along the seacoast on main Honshu Island.

It added that many people were injured in Ishikawa, Niigata, Fukui, Toyama, and Gifu provinces.

The country's Ministry of Defense said it was mobilizing joint land, air and sea forces and deploying around 10,000 soldiers in the affected province for rescue, relief and support operations.

Japan was struck by many earthquakes since Monday afternoon with magnitudes as high as 7.6, triggering a tsunami warning, a large fire and four-foot-high waves.

The tsunami warning was later lifted by the authorities.

Many houses and roads collapsed while train services were suspended following the earthquakes.

Tens of hundreds of people were evacuated to safer places.

People were reportedly stuck inside some buildings in Wajima city of Ishikawa province while firefighters were still trying to locate them.

Some 200 buildings, including shops and houses, were burnt around a popular tourist Asaichi Street.

Videos and pictures broadcast by the NHK showed many houses across the Ishikawa province collapsed while small boats had capsized in the waters offshore.

Some 500 passengers were stranded at Noto Airport in the province as earthquakes caused extensive damage to the terminal building and left the runway and roads unusable.

According to Japan's Geospatial Information Authority, the earthquakes may have shifted land in the Noto region up to 1.3 meters to the west.