Tokyo: A powerful earthquake hit Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, on Tuesday afternoon, following the 7.6-magnitude temblor that rocked the prefecture’s Noto Peninsula on Jan. 1.

The latest quake with an estimated magnitude of 4.8, which occurred in the Noto region, measured lower 5, the fifth highest on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, in the Ishikawa town of Shika and registered 4 in the city of Wajima, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The focus of the temblor, which occurred around 6:42 p.m., was about 10 kilometers deep.

Meanwhile, the Ishikawa prefectural government said Tuesday that the number of people who remain unaccounted for after the Jan. 1 quake rose by four from Monday to 26 while the death toll was unchanged at 222.

JIJI Press