Rescue workers and canine units are urgently sifting through rubble in the winter cold in what the prime minister called a race against time after powerful earthquakes in western Japan left at least 62 people dead and dozens believed trapped under collapsed buildings. Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas were rattled by a 4.9 magnitude aftershock in the early hours among the dozens of aftershocks that have followed a magnitude 7.6 temblor two days ago. The first 72 hours are critical, experts say, because the prospects for survival greatly diminishes after three days. “More than 40 hours have passed. This is a race against time,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters
