Coroner describes difficulty identifying bodies after quake-tsunami

SENDAI —

Dead bodies recovered from disaster areas three weeks after the March 11 megaquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan have become increasingly difficult to identify due to damage, a coroner involved in the identification said lately.

The damage was ‘‘as heavy as to arouse feelings of paralysis even in one such as myself, a forensic doctor familiar with dead bodies,’’ he wrote, referring to some 100 bodies laid out at a school gymnasium where he worked one day.

‘‘I tried hard to control myself by thinking ‘I should show composure as a scientist,’ while hearing desperately repressed voices (of bereaved families), voices cursing their fates and voices of anger that had nowhere to turn,’’ the doctor said.
‘‘But I couldn’t fight back my tears when I saw the body of a little girl looking very similar to my daughter,’’ he added.

Read the whole story
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/coroner-describes-difficulty-identifying-bodies-after-quake-tsunami



More than 15,000 are still unaccounted for after 25 days.
Number of death totaled 12,100

More than 160,000 are still taking refugee at shelters.

Dispatched doctors express concern over worsening hygine conditions as the water system and electricity are not restored at many of those shelters.


・Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/

How can we help?

・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

・Save the Children, Japan quake victim
www.savethechildren.org/japanquake

・Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support Website

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Japan-Earthquake-Animal-Rescue-and-Support/207835229228979
OR;
http://japanearthquakeanimalrelief.chipin.com/japan-earthquake-animal-rescue-and-support/