Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Update Friday, April 1, 2011 Overview
Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Update Friday, April 1, 2011 Note: New content has been inserted in red, italicized, bold font. Overview A powerful 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit Japan on March 11 at 1446 local time (0546 GMT), unleashing massive tsunami waves that crashed into Japan’s northeastern coast of Honshu, the largest and main island of Japan, resulting in widespread damage and destruction. According to the Government of Japan (GoJ), as of Friday (April 1), 11,734 people are confirmed dead and 16,375 people are reported to be missing. (Kyodo, Reuters, April 1) There are no new figures for the number of injured, but the UN reported last week that 2,766 people 1 were injured. Casualty numbers are likely to increase as emergency teams continue to reach and assess affected areas. The earthquake sparked widespread tsunami warnings across the Pacific. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the shallow quake struck at a depth of six miles (10 km) (20 km deep according to Japan’s Meteorological Agency), around 80 miles (125 km) off the eastern coast of Japan, and 240 miles (380 km) northeast of Tokyo. Key Concerns: • There are more than 166,000 evacuees. • UN says priority needs remain: fuel, prefabricated housing, clothing and medicine. Request for international assistance Japan has asked for international help to deal with the disaster and has so far received offers of assistance from 134 countries and 33 international organizations. It has accepted relief items from 24 countries to date. According to OCHA, the GoJ says the need for further international assistance is limited and any support should be in accordance with the GoJ’s criteria.
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