The dead and missing in the wake of Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake and massive tsunami in Japan topped 5,000 Monday, after some 2,000 bodies were found along two shores in Miyagi Prefecture. The death toll from the Japanese quake and tsunami is expected to run into the tens of thousands as local and international rescue teams continue searching through the ruins of north-eastern coastal cities for survivors of the disaster, according to The Guardian UK.

Despite the deployment of 100,000 Japanese troops and more than 500 foreign rescue specialists, the relief operation is being hampered by the damage done to the country's transport infrastructure, with roads, rail, ports and power lines crippled across much of the disaster region. 

 

 

The International Foundation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has established a solidarity fund to provide people with an opportunity to show their support for individuals and communities affected by the devastating events in Japan.

 

Your gift will support the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) disaster relief efforts to help those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. Funds will be utilized for the on-going provision of immediate relief and for eventual recovery support to the affected population.

 

PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A DONATION TODAY

 

 

IMAGES :

LEFT: A helmeted man walks past the rubbles and a burning building after a powerful earthquake, the largest in Japan's recorded history, slammed the eastern coasts in Iwaki city, Fukushima prefecture, Japan.

RIGHT: A soldier carries an elderly man to a shelter in Natori city, Miyagi prefecture. Photograph: Str/AFP/Getty Images