People in southwestern Japan continue to experience a series of earthquakes that has been rocking the region for well over a week.
Officials are calling on people to be on alert for more strong jolts. In Tokyo, the central government says it will offer financial support to the stricken areas.
Hundreds of rescue workers have expanded their search area as they look for a man still missing.
Authorities say 49 people died in Kumamoto Prefecture in the quakes. They say 13 others died later, possibly due to the physical burden of evacuating or the worsening condition of diseases they already had.
More than 48,000 people are living in shelters or vehicles. Not being able to move around much in their cars is taking a toll. Officials say 35 people have been diagnosed with so-called economy class syndrome and need to be admitted to hospital. The possibly deadly syndrome causes blood clots to form.
Recovery work is ongoing. On Monday, the central government took a step forward to help rebuild the region.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that the government has designated the quakes as “severe natural disasters. The designation would allow the government to provide bigger subsidies to municipalities in the disaster-hit areas.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instructed cabinet ministers to draft a supplementary budget.
He said it will cover expenses for securing homes as well as providing financial support to survivors.
Source and image: NHK
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