Miraculous rescues of survivors amidst unbelievable destruction in Japan shows resilience of citizens
Miraculous rescues of survivors amidst unbelievable destruction in Japan shows resilience of citizens
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Tsunami wipes out an entire town in Japan (video)
Sai Abe, a 70-year-old woman, was pulled from the rubble of a ruined house in the devastated coastal town of Otsuchi in Iwate prefecture, according to the public service broadcaster. She was suffering from hypothermia, but her condition was said to be not life-threatening.
Abe's son said he had tried to save his mother when the earthquake struck but could not get her out of her home in time. "I couldn't lift her up, and she couldn't escape because her legs are bad," said Hiromi Abe. While he was relieved at her rescue, he added, "My feelings are complicated, because I haven't found my father."
Another elderly woman was shown on TV being pulled from a car wedged among wrecked buildings. A search team spotted her through the car's unbroken windscreen when she moved. She is also being treated for hypothermia in hospital.
A man, thought to be in his twenties, was pulled alive from rubble in Ishimaki in Miyagi prefecture, a badly affected coastal area where more than 2,000 bodies have been found. Rescue workers carrying him on a stretcher and wrapped up in a foil blanket. "I was washed away by the tsunami, but I am alright," he reportedly said.u00a0 An infant was also rescued by officials in Ishinomaki, a coastal town northeast of Senda. The infant was rescued three days after she was swept from her parents' hands.
3,500
Number of people who have lost their lives in Japan
30-km
No-fly zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant
Radiation levels dangerous
Dangerous levels of radiation leaking from a crippled nuclear plant forced Japan to order 1,40,000 people to seal themselves indoors yesterday after an explosion and a fire dramatically escalated the crisis. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said radiation had spread from the four stricken reactors of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant along Japan's northeastern coast.
Japan's nuclear safety committee said late lsat night radiation levels of 400 millisieverts an hour had been recorded near Fukushima's No.4 reactor earlier in the day. Exposure to over 100 millisieverts a year is a level which can lead to cancer.
Japan has received offers for help from 91 countries, and has accepted assistance for specialised urban search and rescue and medical teams.
Radioactivity could enter food chain
Radioactive materials spewed into the air by Japan's earthquake-crippled nuclear plant may contaminate food and water resources, with children and unborn babies most at risk of possibly developing cancer.
Experts said exposure to radioactive materials has the potential to cause various kinds of cancers and abnormalities to foetuses.
Cow's milk was especially vulnerable, experts said, if cows graze on grass exposed to radiation.
Asian countries like Thailand, South Korea and Singapore have begun checking Japanese food products for traces of radiation fearing the worst situation.u00a0
Man who doesn't sleep
Yukio Edano, Japan's chief government spokesman, has become an unlikely hero of the earthquake-tsunami crisis. His tireless efforts have made him popular among many Japanese Twitter users, who went as far as to urge him to get some sleep. One user named Kagetoramaru tweeted, "As of 20:30 let's all tweet #edano ufffdnero, and make him go to sleep!" Another user named jolly0730 responded, "Our wish has been fulfilled. It looks like he's finally gone to bed.
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