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Japan Death Toll Tops 2,700

JAPAN QUAKE

As urgent meetings held on radiation risks.

cheats/2011/03/15/japan-death-toll-tops-2700/japan-earthquake-devastation_xl6jng
AP Photo

Though morale has been slightly boosted in light of the rescue of two survivors on Tuesday, devastation continues to ravage Japan. The National Police Agency confirmed Tuesday afternoon that 2,722 have died in the earthquake and tsunami, and that thousands more remained missing. The U.S. Geological Survey has elevated the earthquake's calculated 8.9 magnitude to 9.0, though the ensuing tsunami caused the most damage. As radiation levels rose in Tokyo after Fukushima Daiichi's reactor explosion, many residents fled the city while others stocked up on food, water, candles, and batteries. While winds have blown most of the radioactive material out to the Pacific Ocean, several Asian countries are still considering how they would respond if the fallout reached their mainlands. Chinese health and environmental officials held urgent meetings Tuesday while South Korea and Singapore are planning to carefully examine food imported from Japan. China has announced they will send buses to evacuate their citizens from the highly affected areas in the north, the U.S. Embassy has thus far not urged Americans to leave the country.

Read it at The New York Times