TOKYO, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The powerful quakes of up to 7.6 magnitude that jolted central Japan on New Year's Day has led to 222 deaths, and the ensuing tsunami waves flooded about 190 hectares of land, local media reports showed on Monday.

The number of people who remained unaccounted for dropped to 22 in the hardest-hit central Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa as of 2 p.m. local time on Monday, while 1,025 people suffered injuries due to the quakes, national broadcaster NHK reported.

Of the reported deaths, 14 were not directly killed in the earthquake but are believed to have died from sudden or chronic illness after staying at a temporary shelter, said the report.

Amidst the cold weather, water and power were still unavailable as of Sunday at hundreds of evacuation sites hosting nearly 20,000 people, and as many shelters in the region are still full, some residents were forced to brave the wintry conditions in greenhouses.

As concerns grow over disaster-related deaths, officials are working to relocate survivors to better accommodations.

The government said on Monday that tsunami waves generated by the powerful earthquake two weeks ago swept across some 190 hectares of land in three municipalities.

According to national news agency Kyodo, the tsunami inflicted damage mostly in the northeastern part of the peninsula, including Suzu and Noto on the Sea of Japan coast, wrecking houses and port facilities, while the full extent of the destruction is yet to be assessed.

The government revealed that the 190 hectares also include areas of the coastal town of Shika in Ishikawa, and breakwaters were damaged at least in seven beaches hit by tsunami waves.

The extent of inundation was figured out based on images taken by the helicopters of the land ministry and the prefectural government, as well as map information from the country's Geospatial Information Authority, according to Kyodo. Enditem

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