Japan’s police say disaster death toll nears 9,500
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Japan Ground Self-Defense Force personnel march by coffins during a burial ceremony for the March 11 tsunami victims in Higashimatsushima City
TOKYO >>Japan’s police agency says nearly 9,500 people are dead after an earthquake and tsunami. More than 15,600 are missing.
Those tallies are likely to overlap, but police officials estimate that the final figure will likely exceed 18,000 deaths.
A police spokesman from one of the of the hardest-hit prefectures, Miyagi, estimates that the deaths will top 15,000 in that region alone. Police in other devastated areas declined to estimate eventual tolls, but said the confirmed deaths in their areas already number nearly 3,700.
The National Police Agency said the overall number of bodies collected so far stood at 9,487, while 15,617 have been listed as missing.
