The death toll from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan has risen to 12,690, and more than 14,700 people are missing, police told Kyodo news on Friday.
The twin disaster knocked out the cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, raising concerns over radiation leaks.
Workers struggling to stem the leak were temporarily evacuated from the damaged plant on Thursday after the strongest aftershock to hit since the March 11 quake triggered a tsunami alert.
Two people were killed in Thursday’s 7.1-magnitude quake and 132 more were injured. The latest aftershock struck off Japan’s northeastern coast, close to the epicenter of last month’s 9.0-magnitude quake.
The Japanese government has said the damage from the disaster could total $310 billion.
The Japanese authorities announced on Friday that officials will begin measuring radiation levels in export goods in cargo ships at Japan’s major ports after China halted imports from the country.
MOSCOW, April 8 (RIA Novosti)
