As Japan scrambles to pick itself up from the havoc caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the government is subsequently struggling to avert a nearing nuclear catastrophe.
Air and ground assault have been launched against two nuclear reactor buildings which are emitting radiation in what has come to be termed as a cooling mission. Japanese military helicopters dumped water onto the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant's damaged reactors Thursday.
Elsewhere, search and rescue efforts of survivors with thousands missing and the death toll on a surging upward scale. With the damaged nuclear plants posing a huge danger, the country is now facing power shortage, besides fuel shortage. Adding to the woes, cold winds and freezing weather are hampering the relief efforts.
Start the slideshow to view photos reflecting Japan's struggles as it tries to recover from the devastation wrought by Friday's earthquake and an ensuing tsunami:
Late Wednesday, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said, "We could rescue more than 26,000 people, but the number of those who died or are unaccounted for has exceeded 10,000."Kyodo quoted police as informing that around 2,000 of the recovered bodies had been identified as of 10 am (0100 GMT), even as morgues struggled with a backlog of bodies and lack of resources, and crematoria began to run out of fuel.On Wednesday, the Emperor of Japan made a rare address emphasizing the severity of the crisis. Emperor Akihito, however, was hopeful that the nuclear crisis would be resolved, and that lives could be saved.“I hope things will take a turn for the better,” said the monarch, whose father, Hirohito in 1945 announced to Japan’s people its surrender to the allies. REUTERS/Damir SagoljAs 150 miles from Tokyo workers are struggle to stop a nuclear power plant from going into meltdown, survivors of the tragedy unleashed by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a monstrous tsunami wave are gripped by the fear of aftershocks.Media reports suggest that close to half a million people have been evacuated in Miyagi and surrounding prefectures.Thousands of evacuees are taking refuge in makeshift shelters.1.5 million households are cut off from water and power supplies.REUTERS/Damir SagoljThe cascade of disasters have now left people reeling under freezing winds, hail storms and thick snow.With 430,000 survivors of the disaster beleaguered, a humanitarian crisis seems to be looming large.REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonAs survivors try to flee the disaster-torn nation, neighboring countries have ramped up radiation response.As fears of a nuclear meltdown in Japan escalate, authorities in Hong Kong will give a daily briefing on the latest situation over the next few days.Meanwhile, Taiwan authorities started to screen travelers from Japan at the airports on Wednesday and Taiwan's anti-chemical troops joined in the effort today, Reuters reported quoting local media. REUTERS/Issei KatoWhile calls for bolstering relief efforts echoed across the international community, Japan markets continue to tumble following the earthquake.Global markets are reacting negatively to the fears of Japan's nuclear crisis.On Friday, financial leaders of the world's richest countries (G7) are expected to address these fears as well as the concerns that the development will unravel the world economy's fragile recovery, Reuters reported.REUTERS/Truth LeemA red umbrella is seen among the ruins as survivors walk past in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, days after the area was devastated by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami March 16, 2011. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
