Death toll Rises to 6,911 in Japan

The National Police Agency said Friday that the catastrophic March 11 earthquake and ensuing tsunami have left 6,911 people dead and 10,316 others unaccounted for by 7:00 PM(1000 GMT).

Around 370,000 evacuees are now living in 2,100 emergency shelters, said the agency.

According to local media reports, a total of 90,000 Self- Defense Forces members, police and firefighters on Friday continued their rescue and relief operations, having rescued about 26,000 disaster victims stranded in quake- and tsunami-stricken areas.

Around 16,000 others were still stranded in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, according to the Japanese government.

A 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific coastal areas of northeastern and eastern Japan, triggering enormous tsunami. Heavy casualties and extensive damage have been caused in the disaster.