Japan digs for dead after quake

(UKPA) – 16 minutes ago

Rescue workers used chain saws and hand picks to dig out bodies in Japan's devastated coastal towns, as Asia's richest nation faced a growing humanitarian, nuclear and economic crisis in the aftermath of a massive earthquake and tsunami.

Millions of people spent a third night without water, food or heating in near-freezing temperatures along the devastated north-eastern coast.

Also, the containment building of a second nuclear reactor exploded because of hydrogen build-up while the stock market plunged over the likelihood of huge losses by Japanese industries including big names such as Toyota and Honda.

More than 10,000 people are estimated to have died in Friday's tragedy that has caused unimaginable deprivation for people of this industrialised country that has not seen such hardships since the Second World War.

The pulverized coast has been hit by more than 150 aftershocks since Friday, the latest one a 6.2 magnitude quake that was followed by a new tsunami scare on Monday. Abandoning their search operations, soldiers told residents of the devastated shoreline in Soma, the worst hit town in Fukushima prefecture, to run to higher ground.

Sirens wailed and soldiers shouted "find high ground! Get out of here!". Several uniformed soldiers were seen leading an old woman up a muddy hillside. The warning turned out to be a false alarm.

"This is Japan's most severe crisis since the war ended 65 years ago," Prime Minister Naoto Kan told reporters, adding that Japan's future would be decided by its response.

On Sunday, search parties arrived in Soma for the first time since Friday to dig out bodies. Ambulances stood by and body bags were laid out in an area cleared of debris, as firefighters used hand picks and chain saws to clear an indescribable jumble of broken timber, plastic sheets, roofs, sludge, twisted cars, tangled powerlines and household goods.

According to officials, more than 1,800 people have been confirmed dead - including 200 people whose bodies were found on Sunday along the coast - and more than 1,400 were missing in Friday's disasters. Another 1,900 were injured.

But police in Miyagi prefecture say 10,000 people are likely dead in their area alone. Miyagi, with a population of 2.3 million, was one of the hardest hit areas.

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