Death Toll in Japan Earthquake Nears 2,000

The official death toll in last week’s devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan rose to 1,833 on Monday as rescuers continued shifting through rubble. Japan’s Kyodo News reports 2,000 more bodies were found in Miyagi Prefecture alone, but those reports have not been confirmed by officials. Kyodo also reported about 15,000 people have been rescued from rubble so far. The National Agency said 2,369 people remain missing. Authorities expect the death roll to continue to rise as rescue teams make their way to other areas.

Meanwhile, the government confirmed another explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The explosion occurred Monday morning at a building housing reactor No. 3. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the explosion did not damage reactor No. 3, but it is believed to have caused the failure of the No. 2 reactor’s cooling system. Eleven workers were injured in the blast.

The first blast on Saturday prompted Japanese authorities to order more evacuations near the plant. All residents within a 14 mile radius of Fukushima were ordered to leave. The explosion is believed to have been caused by the failure of a pumping system. Workers have begun the process of flooding the reactor’s container with seawater in an effort to cool the nuclear fuel and prevent radiation from being released into the atmosphere. RIA Novosti reports the government will distribute iodine to residents. Iodine will help protect them from radiation exposure. 

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