Japan earthquake death toll nears 50 as officials warn of aftershocks

Officials in Japan say at least 48 people have died after a series of strong earthquakes rocked the country on New Year's Day. Now, one thousand service personnel have been deployed to help with search and rescue operations as officials warn of aftershocks. "Please be on alert that there may be earthquakes for about a week of an intensity scale of up to 7," Japan's chief cabinet secretary said in an address. The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck in the middle of the afternoon on Monday, destroying buildings, knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and prompting residents in some coastal areas to flee to higher ground. For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc Like Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ Follow Global News on Twitter HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: https://bit.ly/2QZaZIB #GlobalNews #japanEarthquake #japan