Death toll rises from Japan quake
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The death toll from the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan on Friday has risen to more than a thousand, with many people still missing, according to reports issued over the weekend.
While Japan's police says that only 637 are confirmed dead, media reports say that over a thousand people have been killed, with several hundred bodies still being transported. Thousands more are still unaccounted for; in the town of Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture alone, up to 10,000 people are missing. Four trains that were on the coast have yet to be located.
In the aftermath of the disaster, evacuations of around 300,000 people have taken place; more evacuations are likely in the wake of concerns over a damaged nuclear power plant. According to Prime Minister Naoto Kan, around 3,000 people have been rescued thus far. 50,000 troops from the Japanese military have been deployed to assist in rescue efforts.
The tsunami generated by the quake has destroyed communities along Japan's Pacific coast, with up to 90% of the houses in some towns having been destroyed; at least 3,400 structures have been destroyed in total. Fires have also sprung up among the impacted areas.
Related news
- "Explosion at earthquake-damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant" — Wikinews, March 12, 2011
- "Special report on Japanese tsunami emergency in Pichilemu, Chile" — Wikinews, March 12, 2011
- "Earthquake-damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant triggers evacuation" — Wikinews, March 11, 2011
- "8.9 magnitude earthquake hits Japan, causes tsunami" — Wikinews, March 11, 2011
Sources
- "Huge blast at Japan nuclear power plant" — BBC News Online, March 12, 2011
- "9,500 people missing in tsunami-stricken Japan town" — Haaretz, March 12, 2011
