Death toll rises to 7,348 in Japan following March 11 great quake: police

TOKYO. March 19. KAZINFORM The National Police Agency said Saturday that the catastrophic March 11 earthquake and ensuing tsunami have left 7,348 people dead and 10,947 others unaccounted for in Japan by 06:00 p.m. local time (0900 GMT); Kazinform refers to Xinhua.

Up to 4,289 deaths have been confirmed in the worst-hit Miyagi prefecture, said the agency, while the figures stood at 2,356 and 647 in Iwate and Fukushima prefectures respectively.

A total of 4,253 people have been reported missing in Iwate, followed by 4,437 in Fukushima and 2,252 in Miyagi, it said.

And around 367,000 evacuees are now living in Miyagi, Iwate and other prefectures; Kazinform cites Xinhua.

See www.xinhuanet.com/english2010 for full version