Number of Dead, Missing in Japan Climbs over 17,000

0 Richter magnitude earthquake jolted Japan, triggering a vast tsunami wave, the total number of dead and missing has climbed to 17 227, according to the Japanese Police Agency. Photo by EPA/BGNES

A week after the disastrous 9.0 Richter magnitude earthquake jolted Japan, triggering a vast tsunami wave, the total number of dead and missing has climbed to 17 227, according to the Japanese Police Agency.

The death toll has reached 6,911, while the number of those still unaccounted for has risen to 10,116. Some 60,000 rescue workers, including police officers and Self-Defense Forces personnel, meanwhile, have found about 26,000 survivors so far, the Kyodo agency says. More than 370,000 people are staying at the 1,200 shelters.

More than 850 000 households in northeastern Japan remain without power. Nearly half million have been evacuated from the worst affected areas. Experts estimate the material damage at USD 187 B, and it is supposed to go up.

Meanwhile, 21 people died after being transferred to evacuation centers in Fukushima Prefecture from a hospital in accordance with the evacuation directive issued due to trouble at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. They included elderly patients.

On Friday, Japan raised the alert level at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant from four to five on a seven-point international scale for atomic events.

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