Search For Missing In 2011 Disaster Held In Miyagi
Police in northeastern Japan have conducted another search for people who remain missing as the 10th anniversary of the devastating tsunami draws near.
On Wednesday, every police station in Miyagi Prefecture dispatched personnel to search operations in coastal areas. More than 200 officers took part.
The prefecture has the largest number of people who are unaccounted for from the March 11, 2011 disaster at 1,214. Neighboring prefectures Iwate and Fukushima have 1,111 and 196 missing respectively.
In Natori City, more than 20 police officers gathered at an irrigation canal about two kilometers upstream from the coast. They scooped the canal bed for the first time in nearly 10 years.
Meguro Akitake from Iwanuma Police Station headed the search. He said the officers tried to help bereaved families by finding whatever they could to lead to the discovery of their loved ones. He said the search has become harder because of the restoration of tsunami-hit areas, but he will continue the effort in cooperation with local municipalities.