Japan is facing its biggest crisis since the Second World War. Its Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, has warned that the country has struggled for a third day to prevent a nuclear disaster in the earthquake and tsunami.
The police warned the death toll could exceed 10,000 only in the prefecture of Miyagi, and a UN agency reported that more than 1,600 people died. Most are believed to have drowned.
"The earthquake, tsunami or nuclear incident is the biggest crisis that Japan has encountered in the 65 years since the end of World War II," Khan told the media. "We will be strong if we, the Japanese people, we will be able to overcome this crisis."
The scope of this challenge was underlined by news that the capital of the world's third largest economy will blackout of three hours from now.
Officials have ordered the measure because the closure of nuclear plants have drastically reduced the supply of electricity. They warn that the blackout could last for weeks.
"We must avoid at all costs the sudden lack of power in scope have devastating consequences for the economy and people's lives," said Khan.
The earthquake of magnitude 9.0 on Friday, upgraded from 8.9, is the worst in the history of Japan and the fifth strongest in the world in the last century. It caused a tsunami 10 meters high in some places.
Some aftershocks continued to shake the coast, the U.S. State Department recommended the Americans to stay away from Japan.
The Japanese meteorological agency warned that there was a 70% chance of a magnitude 7 or greater tremor during the next three days. It raises the 'tsunami warning, but warned that aftershocks could cause new waves.
The agency also warned that a volcano located to the south is back in business after a fortnight inactive. Ash and rock spewed from the crater have Shinmoedake island of Kyushu, 950 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake on Friday. There are no reports of injuries or damage.
Tokyo has doubled the number of troops and rescue teams, but damage to roads and bridges have hampered their efforts.
"rescue and relief operations were hampered by aftershocks continue, warnings of tsunamis and fires. Many areas along the northeast coast remain isolated and inaccessible," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement.
E 'reported that at least 1,600 people are dead and 10,000 missing. Nearly 600,000 have been displaced or evacuated due to the earthquake and tsunami, he added.
Etsuko Oyama, who was rescued by a neighbor after the wave has its spazzatola his home, is struggling to hold back tears as he spoke to the news channel NHK, the public broadcaster giapponese.
"Ho afferrato la mano di mia figlia, ma ho perso la presa quando mi è stata spazzato via dai detriti e acqua," ha detto. "Sono riuscito a sopravvivere, ma mia figlia è stata spazzato via ... spero che lei sia ancora viva da qualche parte."
Le truppe giapponesi hanno portato in salvo un uomo di 60 anni che è stato spazzato per 10 miglia al largo stando sul tetto della sua casa. Ma Hiromitsu Shinkawa ha detto che sua moglie era stata spazzata via quando lo tsunami ha colpito mentre tornavano a casa per raccogliere beni dopo il terremoto.
Mentre ci sono stati momenti di festa di benvenuto appena i sopravvissuti sono stati riuniti, ogni buona notizia è generalmente legata dal dolore.
Withtelephony services still off in many areas, many survivors have been directed toward civic centers to check the names of survivors and those who had died.
news agency Kyodo reported that more than 20,000 buildings nationwide have been destroyed or severely damaged. About 2.6 million households without electricity and 1.4 million without drinking water, said the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, even if the electricity was restored to some parts of the city of Sendai. Reported, however, lack of food.
The survivors huddled in public shelters for another night at temperatures close to zero. In addition to relief activities of the central government, cities and private companies have sent help. The deputy mayor of Tokyo has said the city had distributed 384,000 blankets and 9,000 toilets.
International aid and rescue teams from more than a dozen countries, including China, USA and the UK are coming to help the Japanese troops. Nearly 70 countries have offered their help, such as India which has sent blankets and Australia with field hospitals.
Many donors, including Pakistan and Sri Lanka, was marked by an earthquake or a tsunami in recent years.
Kandahar in southern Afghanistan has also promised money. "$ 50,000 [£ 31,000] non è un sacco di soldi per un paese come il Giappone, ma è una dimostrazione di apprezzamento da parte del popolo Kandahar", Ghulam Haidar Hamidi, il sindaco, ha detto a Reuters.
Yukio Edano, segretario capo di gabinetto giapponese, ha detto che il governo intende utilizzare i propri fondi di emergenza di 200 miliardi di yen circa (£ 1,5 miliardi) per pagare i soccorsi. Ma già si parla di un possibile aumento fiscale temporaneo per finanziare lavori di soccorso.
Giappone, superata dalla Cina lo scorso anno come la seconda economia più grande del mondo, richiederà decine di miliardi di dollari per la ricostruzione. Nel 1995 il terremoto di Kobe si dice sia stato il disastro naturale più costoso della storia, provocando più di £ 1 miliardo di danni.
Il paese dovrà anche contare il costo delle perdite industriali, con gran parte del nord-est a un punto morto.
PAURA NUCLEARE
Aumenta la paura della crisi nucleare dopo che un secondo reattore della centrale di Fukushima è esploso . Funzionari hanno detto che c'era la possibilità che l'esplosione abbia rilasciato materiale radioattivo in aria.
Il muro dell'edificio che ospita il reattore n. 3 è crollato in seguito all'esplosione.
Tokyo Electric Power Company ha detto che tre operai sono stati feriti e sette dispersi. Riprese televisive showed a brief red flash followed by a large plume of white smoke.
The explosion came two days after a similar explosion of reactor number 1, which occurred after the hydrogen mixes with oxygen.
government spokesman, Yukio Edan, said there was a "low possibility" of a release of dangerous radiation, adding that the water was still pumped into the reactor to cool it.
There were no reports of an increase in radiation levels around the middle, but Edan said the government was still collecting information.
He told reporters that the head of the center told him that the reactor and its container vessel were still intact.
About 600 people still living within a radius of 20 km of the area, 150 miles north of Tokyo, has been ordered to stay indoors.
A spokesman for the Nuclear and Industrial Safety spokesman in Japan said that a nuclear scenario was avoided. But he added that residents within the exclusion zone of 20 km had been ordered to stay indoors and close all windows.
The explosion coincided with a tsunami warning for the coast of Fukushima and Iwate prefectures. But the meteorological agency later said there was no indication that a tsunami was coming.
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