Four days ago, was another coastal town Otsuchi over Japan, a destination for surfers and remote beaches. Today, amid a sea of \u200b\u200bdevastation, left standing only a supermarket and a Buddhist temple. Like most of the northeastern Japan, Otsuchi was affected Friday by a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami took everything.
Officials fear more than half the population is 19,000 people buried under rubble. "Otsuchi reminds me of Osaka and Tokyo after World War II," said Tadateru Konoe, president of Red Cross in Japan, while rescue teams were moving over debris, twisted metal and debris, some of them on fire.
"Everything is destroyed and crushed. It is a complete disaster. In my long career with the Red Cross, is the worst I've seen," he said. The flames devour the hills overlooking Otsuchi, complicating rescue efforts. Very cold temperatures, and the scope of devastation becomes scarce the possibility of finding survivors.
"This can not be worse, I have not seen anything that bad," said Patrick Fuller, International Federation of Red Cross. "I do not think you can find anything worse on the coast (...) Just miles of desolation, people rummaging through twisted metal and bodies," he said. Throughout the devastated northeast coast were similar scenes of destruction.
The water column moved inland houses, boats led to fields, overturned cars and, in one of many examples, jumped ship to the roof of a house. It is believed that up to 10,000 people have died. Kyodo news agency said 2,000 bodies had been found off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, which suffered the most damage.
Some families who lived in the nearby hills survived and could be seen wandering over the debris to reach him in the past was the center of town. "I've seen similar disasters, I covered the tsunami in Thailand (in the Indian Ocean in 2004), but I have not seen anything like this in my life," said Latif.
"I stopped taking pictures for a while to look around, and stayed there in the middle, not believe it," he said. The enormity of the disaster has shaken Japan to the core. The survivors wandered through the rubble, many with tears in his eyes, searching for loved ones, others uncertain about the future of family and friends.
Other planks lined up against information in the emergency center looking for news. "I am looking for my relatives and my older brother," said a sobbing Yuko Abe, 54, in an emergency center in Rikuzentakata, a town of 24,500 people wiped out in the Iwate prefecture, in the farthest north.
"Seeing the state in which the area is, I believe that perhaps did not. I can not say no to my sisters who live outside, I'm fine, as mobile phones and phones not working, "he added. Many spent another freezing night covered by blankets and heaters around in shelters along the coast. Nearly two million homes were without power, the government said.
It would have about 1.4 million without running water. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said were being sent by sea food, water and other staples, but given the state of the roads, the authorities were assessing the bunker. Fuller, Red Cross, said that priority should be to provide assistance to those who are alive.
"It is tragic to say it has killed thousands, but the focus has to be the survivors, "he said." This requires a massive mobilization of resources because the affected area stretches for hundreds of miles, "he said. In the town of Kuji factory shoe components Kita Nihon Zosen was reduced to only its skeleton by the tsunami, but the staff went to work on Monday and stood in line at the front door, smoking.
Many were in shock. A young worker at the factory components explained why he was there. "Because it is a business day, "he said. When the earthquake occurred, the factory manager, Teruo Nakano, sent a few workers at sea level. The tide recedes often abnormal in a tsunami before returning as a large wave that destroys everything in its path.
"Right after the earthquake, the water level was lower and at one meter, so we thought 'this is wrong' and escape to higher ground immediately," he said. All employees survived. Nakano said he planned to send everyone home. 
Officials fear more than half the population is 19,000 people buried under rubble. "Otsuchi reminds me of Osaka and Tokyo after World War II," said Tadateru Konoe, president of Red Cross in Japan, while rescue teams were moving over debris, twisted metal and debris, some of them on fire.
"Everything is destroyed and crushed. It is a complete disaster. In my long career with the Red Cross, is the worst I've seen," he said. The flames devour the hills overlooking Otsuchi, complicating rescue efforts. Very cold temperatures, and the scope of devastation becomes scarce the possibility of finding survivors.
"This can not be worse, I have not seen anything that bad," said Patrick Fuller, International Federation of Red Cross. "I do not think you can find anything worse on the coast (...) Just miles of desolation, people rummaging through twisted metal and bodies," he said. Throughout the devastated northeast coast were similar scenes of destruction.
The water column moved inland houses, boats led to fields, overturned cars and, in one of many examples, jumped ship to the roof of a house. It is believed that up to 10,000 people have died. Kyodo news agency said 2,000 bodies had been found off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, which suffered the most damage.
Some families who lived in the nearby hills survived and could be seen wandering over the debris to reach him in the past was the center of town. "I've seen similar disasters, I covered the tsunami in Thailand (in the Indian Ocean in 2004), but I have not seen anything like this in my life," said Latif.
"I stopped taking pictures for a while to look around, and stayed there in the middle, not believe it," he said. The enormity of the disaster has shaken Japan to the core. The survivors wandered through the rubble, many with tears in his eyes, searching for loved ones, others uncertain about the future of family and friends.
Other planks lined up against information in the emergency center looking for news. "I am looking for my relatives and my older brother," said a sobbing Yuko Abe, 54, in an emergency center in Rikuzentakata, a town of 24,500 people wiped out in the Iwate prefecture, in the farthest north.
"Seeing the state in which the area is, I believe that perhaps did not. I can not say no to my sisters who live outside, I'm fine, as mobile phones and phones not working, "he added. Many spent another freezing night covered by blankets and heaters around in shelters along the coast. Nearly two million homes were without power, the government said.
It would have about 1.4 million without running water. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said were being sent by sea food, water and other staples, but given the state of the roads, the authorities were assessing the bunker. Fuller, Red Cross, said that priority should be to provide assistance to those who are alive.
"It is tragic to say it has killed thousands, but the focus has to be the survivors, "he said." This requires a massive mobilization of resources because the affected area stretches for hundreds of miles, "he said. In the town of Kuji factory shoe components Kita Nihon Zosen was reduced to only its skeleton by the tsunami, but the staff went to work on Monday and stood in line at the front door, smoking.
Many were in shock. A young worker at the factory components explained why he was there. "Because it is a business day, "he said. When the earthquake occurred, the factory manager, Teruo Nakano, sent a few workers at sea level. The tide recedes often abnormal in a tsunami before returning as a large wave that destroys everything in its path.
"Right after the earthquake, the water level was lower and at one meter, so we thought 'this is wrong' and escape to higher ground immediately," he said. All employees survived. Nakano said he planned to send everyone home.
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