More Than 10,000 People May Be Dead in Japan

Two days ago, officials feared as many as 1,300 could be dead in Japan following Friday's massive earthquake and tsunami. Now, they're saying at least 10,000 have died in just one costal town. A senior police official said that casualties in the port town of Minamisanriku would "certainly be more than 10,000" out of a population of 17,000. Japan has mobilized 100,000 troops for the relief effort and injected $86 billion into the economy to address the catastrophe, reports the New York Times. Thousands of Japanese remain homeless and millions are without of basic amenities such as water or power. Prime Minister Naoto Kan called the situation the "worst crisis" since World War II in a news conference Sunday, adding: "If the nation works together, we will overcome." The Japanese stock market plummeted on Monday, with the main index dropping 5.5 percent.

via Slate