TOKYO, January 2. /TASS/. At least six people were killed and more than 40 suffered varying degrees of injuries as a result of a series of earthquakes that occurred in Japan, the Japanese public television reported.

It is noted that all the dead were residents of Ishikawa Prefecture, where the tremors were felt the most and caused the greatest destruction. To date, at least 50 cases of destruction of private wooden houses and residential buildings in this region of the country have been reported. Rescuers are working on the site, as there may still be people under the rubble. There are also reports of more than 50 major fires that Japanese firefighters are working to extinguish.

Since Monday, more than 130 earthquakes of varying strength have occurred in Japan, the most powerful of which had a magnitude of 7.6. The epicenter of the tremors was located near Ishikawa and Niigata prefectures. Experts from the country's national meteorological department warn that aftershocks will continue in the coming week. The next two to three days are especially dangerous, during which there is a possibility of repeated powerful tremors with a magnitude above 7. Japanese seismologists are calling on local residents to be extremely vigilant.