More On The ‘Quake
From the CBC: Japanese town has 9,500 missing after twin disasters
The death toll in northeast Japan after a powerful earthquake and tsunami could rise dramatically, with news that about 9,500 people are unaccounted for in the town of Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture.
The Kyodo news agency reported that number Saturday, citing local officials, and said it represents more than half of the community’s population.
…The official death toll more than 24 hours after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and the tsunami stood at 586. About 215,000 people have gone to emergency shelters.
The quake struck 125 kilometres off Japan’s northeast coast. A majority of the victims drowned in the giant tsunami waves created by the powerful tremor, which swept 10 kilometres inland. Thousands of buildings and cars were washed away, along with four passengers trains.
…Officials said the initial quake was the most powerful one to hit the region in 1,200 years. The USGS says the force of the quake was so strong that Honshu — Japan’s biggest island — was moved 2.5 metres to the east.
I think that most people know that the final death toll will be in the thousands just from the pictures of the devastation and the population density of Japan. The idea that an island the size of Honshu has shifted about 8 feet is mind boggling, since it occurred in seconds.
