The official death toll stands at 574, but more than 1,700 people are believed to have been buried in the rubble or washed away by the waves.

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1 1 of 15 03/12/ :44 Evening Click here to print By Wil Longbottom Last updated at 6:15 PM on 12th March ,500 people missing in Minamisanriku 24 hours after double disaster struck Official death toll hits 574, but hundreds believed to be buried under rubble or washed away by waves Explosion at nuclear power plant, but experts say reactor is not at risk Region hit by repeated aftershocks, some up 6.8-magnitude Rescue operation begins but some areas still cut off by road damage and flood waters Force of quake shifts Japan 8ft to the East Half of the population of a Japanese coastal town are still unaccounted for as the death toll from the massive earthquake and tsunami looks set to rise. Government officials revealed the fate of 9,500 people in the north eastern port of Minamisanriku was still unknown more than 24 hours after the double disaster hit. The official death toll stands at 574, but more than 1,700 people are believed to have been buried in the rubble or washed away by the waves.

2 2 of 15 03/12/ :44 Evening Catastrophe: The true scale of the devastation that the tsunami unleashed is clear in this picture of the port city of Minamisanriku town where 10,000 people are unaccounted for Rescue teams have been unable to reach some areas after the 9-magnitude quake destroyed and cut off airports on the country's east coast. Japan launched a massive military rescue operation today after the quake killed hundreds of people and left part of the northeastern coast a swampy wasteland. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said 50,000 troops would join rescue and recovery efforts after a 30ft tsunami smashed through towns, airports and submerged highways. The official death toll currently stands at 586, but 784 people were still missing and more than 1,000 injured. Police said between 200 and 300 bodies have been found along the coast in Sendai, the biggest city in the area near the quake's epicentre.

3 3 of 15 03/12/ :44 Evening Missing: Half of the population of the port of Minamisanriku are still unaccounted for after the tsunami hit yesterday Disaster: White smoke rises from houses still burning in Yamadamachi more than 24 hours after the massive earthquake struck

4 4 of 15 03/12/ :44 Evening Scale of destruction: A tanker has been washed ashore by the massive wave in Kamaishi City Untold numbers of bodies are believed to be buried in the rubble and debris. Rail operators lost contact with four trains running on coastal lines on Friday and still had not found them by this morning. East Japan Railway Co. said it did not know how many people were aboard the trains. More than 215,000 people are living in temporary shelters in five states and a million homes have been left without water. The region has continued to be hit with aftershocks 24 hours after the initial quake, which struck at 5:46am GMT 80 miles off the east Japan coast. More than 125 aftershocks have occurred, many of them above 6 on the Richter scale. Japan is well prepared for quakes and its buildings can withstand strong jolts, but there was little that could be down about the killer tsunami.

5 5 of 15 03/12/ :44 Evening Gutted: Smoke billows from vessels off the harbour in Kesennuma

6 6 of 15 03/12/ :44 Evening Cut off: The town of Yamamoto was swamped by the massive wave and, right, two bridges, one of which was being built, were badly damaged in Namegata by the 9-magnitude quake Apocalyptic: A lone cyclist makes his way through a debris-choked street in Miyako It swept inland around six miles in some areas, swallowing homes, boats, car, trees and even aircraft. Koichi Takairin, a 34-year-old truck driver who was inside his lorry when the wave hit Sendai, said: 'The tsunami was unbelievably fast. 'Smaller cars were being swept around me. All I could do was sit in my truck.'

7 7 of 15 03/12/ :44 Evening Prime Minister Naoto Kan said: 'Most of the houses along the coastline were washed away, and fire broke out there. I realised the extremely serious damage the tsunami caused.' A total of 190 military aircraft and 25 ships have been sent to the affected areas. International aid has also begun arriving, including a team from the UN disaster relief team. Supplies at supermarkets and petrol stations have been running low as hundreds of people queued up along the eastern coastline. Scale of the devastation: A satellite image from the National Space Organisation shows Sendai before the earthquake, left, and after Damage: This satellite image shows towers that have collapsed at the Kirin plant in Sendai

8 8 of 15 03/12/ :44 Evening Rescue: Workers look for missing people in Yamamoto, but many areas are still cut off by damage to roads or flood waters Tsunami warnings were issued to the entire Pacific seaboard, but the worst fears were not realised. Widespread damage was caused to some coast areas, including California, but there were no reports of fatalities. President Barack Obama has pledged U.S. assistance and said one aircraft carrier was already in Japan and a second was on its way. Japan's worst previous earthquake was an 8.3-magnitude temblor in Kanto which killed 143,000 people in A 7.2-magnitude quake in Kobe killed 6,400 people in The country lies on the 'Ring of Fire' - an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching across the Pacific where around 90 per cent of the world's quakes occur.

9 9 of 15 03/12/ :44 Evening Counting the cost: People walk past a car that has been washed into a wall in Miyako

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11 11 of 15 03/12/ :44 Evening Shelter: A young girl watches the news in a community centre in Fukushima, where an explosion destroyed a building at a nuclear power plant earlier today

12 12 of 15 03/12/ :44 Evening Carnage: Boats, cars and buildings lie in ruins in Miyako and, right, rescue workers survey the damage from the top of a shattered building in Rikuzentakada An estimated 230,000 people in 12 countries were killed after a quake triggered a massive tsunami on Boxing Day, 2004, in the Indian Ocean. A magnitude 8.8 quake which struck off the coast of Chile in February last year also generated a tsunami which killed 524 people. Authorities mistakenly told people in coastal regions there was no danger of a tsunami. People: Barack Obama Places: Chile, Japan, Indian Ocean Comments (20) View all Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated David of London You are spot on! My thoughts every time there is an earthquake in San Francisco bay area. We had to come here from UK and I hate living here. Hopefully can leave for wonderful UK some day. I try and keep supplies for the 'big one' which is coming but hard to keep them up to date. I have been watching the coverage of Japans quake and it surely hits home in Ca. - Sw, Ca., 12/3/ :59 Click to rate Rating 1 Report abuse

13 13 of 15 03/12/ :44 Evening UNBELIEVABLE! - rogerw, stone, staffs, 12/3/ :54 Click to rate Rating 16 Report abuse Whoever tries to make this a "Global Warming" event needs to be flogged. And I've already seen media reports about it. Enough already!!!! - Frank LeMoyne, Disunited States of Obama, 12/3/ :51 Click to rate Rating 25 Report abuse The most significant reason there is life on planet Earth is because she herself is quite alive. As she spins and shifts about, the environments necessary for myriad lifeforms are produced. This is done on a scale that darkly shadows the comprehension of humanity. The catastrophic damage and loss of life is a plot-line that has been played out on this ball of life, death and rebirth numerous times. It is merely the price we pay to exist. - Ronald Sander B.Sc., Vancouver, BC, 12/3/ :08...youv'e managed to say nothing on four lines. Impossible to know which way to arrow. - Helen, Devon, 12/3/ :26 Click to rate Rating 12 Report abuse - David, London, 12/3/ : Are you actually trying to be serious? Well over half the worlds population lives in a potential disaster zone. What exactly do you propose? That everyone evacuate every single country that borders a tectonic plate boundry? And where are they all going to go exactly? England? You're basically saying every country that borders the Pacific and Indian Oceans, Southern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, most of India, China, and virtually all of both the North and South American continents should be abandoned. That means you have about 3 billion people to relocate, and oh yeah, you're abandoning over half the worlds agricultural development, so expect a couple of billion people to die of starvation. - Completely Average, Somewhere, 12/3/ :23 Click to rate Rating 15 Report abuse its the end of the world!!!! 2012 i can see it - someone, from somewhere, 12/3/ :15 Click to rate Rating 47 Report abuse The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Today's headlines Most Read Japan battles explosion at nuclear reactor Terrifying pictures reveal full horror of Japan's worst quake Dramatic videos show the moment the earthquake struck 13 dead after tour bus crashes on New York highway Tesco recruits store managers in SLOVAKIA after British workers shun supermarket jobs Daughter came face-to-face with mother's killer fleeing from bedroom window minutes after committing murder Rebel forces driven out of key oil city as Gaddafi troops fire relentless artillery barrages Incredible swarms of fish form off coast of Acapulco Police left man floating face down in 2ft boating lake for half-hour over elf 'n safety fears Betrayed by my killer mother: The daughter of child-killer Lianne Smith reveals how she callously ignored years of sex abuse by her TV hypnotist lover Not tonight, dear, I'm feeling too fat: Half of women avoid sex with partners because of their weight Squabbling gay lovers sparked Heathrow terror alert with hoax bomb call

14 14 of 15 03/12/ :44 Evening Our own EU chief shoots down Cameron's no-fly zone as PM warns Europe 'must do more' The number one excuse: Right to a family life lets foreign convicts stay in UK The Downton Delusion: We love dramas about upstairs, downstairs life, but real Edwardian England saw a pampered few exploiting the poor majority An Innocent mistake: Mother battles drinks giant over the name of her vitamin tablets Raoul Moat's henchmen are convicted of helping him carry out massacre Don't let unions ruin my reforms says pension tsar, Lord Hutton Nurse fined 75 for putting black bag next to wheelie bin Prince Andrew pulls out of arms sale trip to Saudi Arabia No loyalty! Tesco sells details of your shopping habits for 53m Pictured: The man left floating face down in 2ft-deep boating lake for half an hour by police who feared for their own safety How Facebook is turning women into stalkers: A third of online victims are now men MORE HEADLINES Betrayed by my killer mother: Woman who smothered toddlers in a Spanish hotel callously ignored sex abuse of eldest girl by TV hypnotist lover Thousands undergo radioactive screening after explosion in nuclear power station Devastation and despair: Terrifying pictures reveal full horror of Japan's worst quake Tsunami wreaks millions of dollars of damage on Californian harbours as giant waves smash U.S. west coast 'Cleo wants to kill me': Graduate star Katharine Ross takes out restraining order after daughter 'stabs her with scissors' Cheryl Cole's brother jailed for six years for armed robbery plot The tottering towers of Tokyo: Dramatic videos show the moment the earthquake struck Incredible swarms of fish form off coast of Acapulco: But was surge caused by tsunami thousands of miles away? Pictured: Charity shop worker who was 'left to die' in 3ft of water because rescue workers were worried about their own health and safety Fires light up Japanese night after mega-quake and huge tsunami which wiped out towns, killed over 1,000 and cut power to millions Wiped off the map: How apocalyptic tsunami waves drowned a sleepy coast town Are we there yet? Couple travel the world for 11 years having four children along the way...and they're still going Six-mile exclusion zone placed around crippled nuclear reactor as radiation hits 1,000 times safe level The big pictures: The moment Japan's cataclysmic tsunami engulfed a nation Retail giant Tesco recruits store bosses from SLOVAKIA after British workers shun supermarket jobs An Innocent mistake: Mother battles drinks giant over the name of her vitamin tablets Heathrow terror alert was sparked by hoax bomb call after gay lovers' tiff Two legs good, six legs better! Chihuahua triplets adapt to life without front paws Number one excuse: Right to a family life lets foreign convicts stay in UK More intelligent than Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking... the schoolgirl, 11, with an IQ of 162 Swept away by the tsunami: 10,000 people missing in flattened town which bore brunt of killer wave caused by megaquake Race to hospital: Students down lethal amounts of alcohol in deadly game where aim is to be the first in A&E I've got it! First man to get an ipad 2 in New York. Then he's off back to France on 8pm flight MOST READ IN DETAIL Find this story at Minamisanriku.html Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group

15 15 of 15 03/12/ :44 Evening Associated Newspapers Ltd