Japan to boost financial aid to quake-hit areas

The death toll has risen to 100 and over 200 people remain missing after a magnitude-7.6 earthquake hit Japan's Ishikawa prefecture on New Year's Day.

Rescuers are struggling, with bad weather and damaged roads hampering search operations. The Japanese government is accelerating its efforts to boost financial aid to quake-hit areas. The government intends to designate the earthquake as a "disaster of extreme severity" within a week.

Under the measure, families whose houses were completely destroyed or severely damaged will be provided with up to 3 million yen, or about 20,000 dollars, in aid.The government also plans to send officials to the affected areas to help local municipalities rent available rooms in hotels and inns for evacuees.