TOKYO -- The number of people unaccounted for in the central Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa surged to 179 on Thursday after a series of earthquakes of up to 7.6 magnitude struck the prefecture and its vicinity, local media said.

In addition, as of 18:00 local time, the death toll of the quakes stood at 84, as search and rescue operations continued three days after the disaster, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Meanwhile, Japanese rescue workers pulled out a woman in her 80s from a collapsed house in the hard-hit coastal city of Wajima in Ishikawa at around 4:28 p.m. local time, just over 72 hours after the major tremor hit the Noto Peninsula, noting that the woman was conscious and responsive, NHK said.

As of Thursday noon, the education and culture ministry confirmed the earthquake has inflicted damage to 276 schools and facilities and caused 20 cases of damage to important cultural assets in the quake-hit areas along the Sea of Japan.

A series of strong earthquakes, with a major one of 7.6 magnitude, on Monday struck at a shallow depth in the Noto region of Ishikawa. The Japan Meteorological Agency has officially named it the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.

Centered around 30 km east-northeast of Wajima, the devastating quake registered a maximum intensity of 7 on Japan's seismic intensity scale, which would make it impossible for people to stand.