[Video transcript]
Sniffing out survivors.
Rescue dogs and military personnel are racing against the clock to find anyone alive under the rubble.
These desperate attempts are made even more difficult by continuing aftershocks, destroyed roads and the remote location of the worst-hit areas.
In a final push, Japan's prime minister has doubled the number of rescue workers in the area.
(Fumio Kishida)
"The situation in the affected area is very challenging, but from the perspective of saving lives we are making all efforts to rescue and to provide lifesaving aid to as many people as possible before the crucial 72-hour period following the disaster elapses this evening."
Volunteers handed out free food to the people whose homes were destroyed in the quake. Thousands were left without electricity or water.
(Resident)
"There's no running water for the toilet and we can't wash our hands. There are babies in the evacuation center and my biggest worry is that they get infected with COVID or influenza, and that illness will spread."
Some have returned home in the hopes of receiving news about missing relatives...
...only to find their entire neighborhood razed to the ground.
Even when the aftershocks stop and the dust settles, the reality here is that tens of thousands of people will be left homeless and without vital services as the region starts the long and painful rebuilding.