Friday, March 25, 2011

Death toll in tsunami hit Japan tops 10,000 two weeks after disaster

The official death toll caused by an 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in Japan has topped 10,000, while around 250,000 people are still taking shelter in some 1,900 evacuation centres, two weeks after the devastation that has left the country in a crisis situation.

Damage to houses and roads is estimated at least at 16 trillion to 25 trillion yen, while radiation leaks at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi power plant have caused widespread public anxiety, the Kyodo news agency reports.

Japan's National Police Agency has said that over 10,019 people have succumbed to the tragedy while 17,541 are still missing, the report said.

Police in Miyagi Prefecture, which has been severely damaged, have reportedly posted information about more than 2,000 recovered bodies, clothing and body type on their website so that they could be identified by their dear ones.