The magnitude 7.6 quake struck on New Year’s Day and caused extensive damage to communities on the Noto Peninsula.

A woman in her 90s was rescued alive from a collapsed house in western Japan, 124 hours after the area was hit by a powerful earthquake that killed at least 126 people.

The resident of Suzu, on the northern tip of the hard-hit Noto Peninsula, survived for more than five days after the attack 7.6 magnitude quake.

Nationally broadcast news footage showed helmeted emergency workers covering the area with blue plastic, with the woman hidden from view. Her condition was unclear.

After the first 72 hours, the chances of survival drop sharply. According to authorities, around 200 people remain missing.

Among the 126 dead was a five-year-old boy who was recovering from injuries sustained when boiling water poured over him during the quake. According to authorities in Ishikawa Prefecture, which includes the Noto Peninsula, his condition suddenly deteriorated and he died on Friday.

Most of the deaths recorded so far have occurred in the town of Wajima, also in the north of the peninsula and the scene of a fierce fire, and in Suzu. More than 500 people were injured, at least 27 of them seriously.

In Suzu, where dozens of homes lie in ruins, a dog barked as an AFP crew filmed the cleanup effort – a sign of a grim discovery.

“Training to become a disaster rescue dog begins with something similar to a game of hide-and-seek,” dog trainer Masayo Kikuchi told the news agency.

“After all, they are taught to bark if they see a person under the rubble.”

Homes with discovered bodies are marked and left alone until a coroner can come with relatives to identify the body.

“Really hard”

Persistent aftershocks threaten to bury more homes and block roads crucial to aid deliveries. With rain and snow forecast for Sunday, officials warned that roads already damaged and cracked by the earthquake could collapse completely.

For Shiro Kokuda, 76, the house in Wajima where he grew up was spared, but a nearby temple went up in flames and he was still searching for his friends in evacuation centers.

“It was really hard,” he said.

Power was gradually restored along the Japanese coast, but water remained scarce.

Thousands of soldiers flew and transported water, food and medicine to the more than 30,000 people who had been evacuated to lecture halls, schools and other facilities.

The national newspaper Yomiuri reported that its aerial survey had located more than 100 landslides in the area, with some blocking major roads.

Some communities, such as the coastal community of Shiromaru, which was also hit by a tsunami, were still waiting for help.

The wave, which was said to be several meters high, left behind a jumble of wood, metal and plastic debris.

“The tsunami came from Shiromaru Bay through the river and then ran up the street,” said Toshio Sakashita, one of about 100 residents.

“We have not received any public support here. Look, the main road is still blocked because of the rubble that has been left untouched,” the 69-year-old told AFP.

“We can’t live in our house anymore,” said 82-year-old Yukio Teraoka as he and his wife cleared heavy, sodden sand from their destroyed home.