Confirmed deaths top 1,300
More than 1,300 people are confirmed dead from the devastating earthquake and tsunami which hit northeastern Japan on Friday.
Miyagi Prefecture has confirmed 515 deaths in Higashi-matsushima, Kesen-numa and Sendai cities.
In Arahama, Wakabayashi ward in Sendai city, 200 to 300 bodies were discovered on the beaches. They are believed to be of people who were swept away by the tsunami. Recovery operations are being hampered by the scale of wreckage.
In the coastal town of Minami-Sanriku, most private homes and other structures have been washed away. About 10,000 people, or more than half the total population of 17,000, remain missing.
Miyagi prefectural police say the death toll in their prefecture alone is almost certain to exceed 10,000.
Total confirmed deaths from the disaster now stand at 1,351. The number of people whose whereabouts are unknown exceeds 10,000.
An NHK survey found that as of 1pm Sunday, more than 310,000 people had entered evacuation facilities in 6 prefectures in the Tohoku region.
Sunday, March 13, 2011 21:40 +0900 (JST)
More than 1,300 people are confirmed dead from the devastating earthquake and tsunami which hit northeastern Japan on Friday.
Miyagi Prefecture has confirmed 515 deaths in Higashi-matsushima, Kesen-numa and Sendai cities.
In Arahama, Wakabayashi ward in Sendai city, 200 to 300 bodies were discovered on the beaches. They are believed to be of people who were swept away by the tsunami. Recovery operations are being hampered by the scale of wreckage.
In the coastal town of Minami-Sanriku, most private homes and other structures have been washed away. About 10,000 people, or more than half the total population of 17,000, remain missing.
Miyagi prefectural police say the death toll in their prefecture alone is almost certain to exceed 10,000.
Total confirmed deaths from the disaster now stand at 1,351. The number of people whose whereabouts are unknown exceeds 10,000.
An NHK survey found that as of 1pm Sunday, more than 310,000 people had entered evacuation facilities in 6 prefectures in the Tohoku region.
Sunday, March 13, 2011 21:40 +0900 (JST)
