| In this March 5, 2016 photo, a woman prays for tsunami victim at a makeshift shrine in a neighbourhood devastated by the 2011 tsunami on top of Hiyoriyama at Yuriage area in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan. Photo: AP |
RIKUZENTAKATA (Japan) — The Japanese coast guard has resumed underwater searches for some of the more than 2,500 people still missing from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country’s northeast coast.
Six divers entered Hirota Bay on Thursday (March 10) in near-freezing temperatures at the behest of surviving families in the city of Rikuzentakata.
As reconstruction of the disaster-hit region gains pace, stretches of the bay have been reclaimed for building sea walls. Relatives fear that the remains of their loved ones might be buried forever.
Police say that more than 2,500 people remain missing in the disaster-hit region, including more than 200 in Rikuzentakata. Nearly 16,000 have been confirmed dead, bringing the presumed death toll to more than 18,000. AP
