The number of deaths in Japan due to the recent earthquake on New Year continues to mount as the latest figure was recorded at 168, while the number to missing people jumped to 323.

The death toll has jumped to 168?from 128 overnight, AFP reported.

The report said the number of people unaccounted for after Japan's New Year's Day earthquake tripled ?to 323.

The number of missing people soared from 31 to 281 in Wajima, which is one of the worst-hit places in Japan due to the recent earthquake.

Dramatic rescues:

Rescuers continue to find survivors from the rubble after 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the region.

A woman in her 90s was pulled alive from a collapsed house in western Japan on Saturday, AP reported.

It was after 124 hours after a major quake slammed the region.

The woman in Suzu city, Ishikawa Prefecture, had survived for more than five days after the 7.6 magnitude quake, the report mentioned.

Usually, the chances for survival diminish after the first 72 hours.?

Adverse weather and crippled infrastructure due to earthquake: ?

Japan’s officials have warned people that roads already cracked could collapse completely.?

That risk was mounting due to adverse weather conditions.

Hardest-hit Wajima:

Wajima city has recorded the highest number of deaths with 69, followed by Suzu with 38, as per the reports.

More than 500 people were injured, at least 27 of them seriously, AP reported.

The earthquake left roofs sitting haplessly on roads and everything beneath them crushed flat. The pictures show roads were warped like rubber. A fire turned a neighborhood in Wajima to ashes.

Eleven people were reported trapped under two homes that collapsed in Anamizu, AP reported.

Japan is one of the fastest-aging societies in the world. The population in Ishikawa and nearby areas has dwindled over the years. A fragile economy centered on crafts and tourism is now more imperiled than ever.