More than 2,000 dead or unaccounted for in Japan''s M9.0 quake

(With Map) TOKYO, March 13 (KUNA) -- The Japanese government continued its efforts Sunday as the confirmed death toll from Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami in northeastern and eastern regions has risen to more than 800 and about 1,200 people remained missing, while a crisis is escalating at nuclear plants.
However, the death toll in the hardest-hit Miyagi Prefecture is expected to exceed 10,000, as hundreds of bodies are still unidentified, local police announced Sunday. In addition, nearly 10,000 people in the coastal town of Minamisanriku in Miyagi, about 360 km north of Tokyo, have not been in contact by anyone, the prefectural government has said earlier.
Most of the buildings in Minamisanriku Town have been washed away by the tsunami.
Separately, the Self-Defense Forces said Sunday they have found 300 to 400 bodies under the rubble in Rikuzentakata City in Iwate Prefecture on the Pacific coast, 400 km north of Tokyo. The coastal city was almost devastated by Friday's quake-triggered tsunami.
The Japan Meteorological Agency on Sunday revised the magnitude of the earthquake from 8.8 to 9.0, making it the fourth biggest in the world's recorded history. Prime Minister Naoto Kan instructed the Defense Ministry to increase the number of Self-Defense Forces personnel sent to quake-hit areas to 100,000 from 50,000. (end) mk.rk KUNA 131030 Mar 11NNNN