Tokyo, March 18 (IANS): The catastrophic quake and ensuing tsunami in Japan last week has left 6,405 people dead, while at least 10,259 were still unaccounted for till on Friday, the National Police Agency said.
Around 2,000 recovered bodies were identified on Thursday in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, of which 870 were returned to their families, Xinhua reported.
The number of damaged buildings has crossed 75,000, the police agency said. Japanese broadcaster NHK said around 380,000 evacuees were living in shelters.
As a precaution, the government has evacuated residents from areas within a 20-km radius from the plant and advised those within a 30-km radius to stay indoors.
The Transport Ministry has also imposed a no-fly zone within 30 km of the plant. Reports of radiation leaks caused panic among Tokyo residents who rushed to empty the shelves of supermarkets and convenience stores.
Many homes had their windows and doors wrapped by protective plastic.
The magnitude-9 quake that struck last Friday set off a deadly tsunami up to 10 metres high that sent walls of water sweeping across the coastal cities, putting many other Pacific countries on high alert.
