Death toll may exceed 1000

Almost 600 people have been confirmed dead in Friday's earthquake that severely hit wide areas of northeastern Japan.

An additional 400 to 500 bodies found in Miyagi Prefecture are likely to bring the death toll to more than 1,000.

Of the 563 people confirmed dead in the Tohoku region as of 3 PM local time, 221 were in Iwate Prefecture, 190 in Fukushima, 149 in Miyagi, 2 in Aomori and one in Yamagata respectively.

In addition, local police were told that 200 to 300 bodies have been found in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, but they are unable to enter the site to retrieve them.

Another 100 bodies have been transported to a gymnasium in Iwanuma City and a similar number recovered in Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture.

More than 190 people remain missing in Iwate, Fukushima, Miyagi and Aomori prefectures.
Saturday, March