Four Indonesians Feared Dead in Japan Disaster

Jakarta Globe, Dessy Sagita, March 13, 2011

Black smoke rising from an industrial complex in Shiogama, Miyagi prefecture,
northern Japan, on Sunday, two days after a powerful earthquake and tsunami
hit the the country's northeastern coast. Four Indonesian fishermen aboard a
tuna boat in the port city when the tsunami struck are missing feared dead.
(AP Photo/Kyodo News)

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Four Indonesian fishermen have been confirmed as being among the missing in the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami disaster.

Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa, speaking during a news conference on Sunday, identified said the men ranged in age from 27 to 31 years.

Marty said the men had been aboard a tuna boat anchored in the port city of Shiogama in Miyagi prefecture when the tsunami struck.

The boat had been located 2.5 kilometers from shore but rescue personnel had found no trace of the crew, he said.

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Japanese Man Found Alive 15 Kilometers Out to Sea

Jakarta Globe, March 13, 2011

Hiromitsu Shinkawa waves to rescuers as they find the 60-year-old man
floating off the coast of Fukushima's Futaba town on the roof of his house
after being swept away in a tsunami. Picture: AP/Defense Ministry

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A Japanese man who was swept 15 kilometers out to sea by Japan’s deadly tsunami was plucked to safety Sunday after being spotted clinging to a piece of wreckage, officials said.

A Maritime Self-Defence Force destroyer rescued 60-year-old Hiromitsu Shinkawa after discovering him floating on a piece of roof in waters off Fukushima Prefecture, two days after the disaster struck.

The man, from the city of Minamisoma which has been virtually obliterated, was swept out along with his house after the massive tsunami tore into Japan’s northeast following a 8.9-magnitude earthquake on Friday.

He is conscious and in “good condition” after his rescue which took place around 12:40 pm (0340 GMT), ministry officials said, adding that he was transported to hospital by helicopter.

“I ran away after learning that the tsunami was coming,” Shinkawa told rescuers according to Jiji Press.

Hiromitsu Shinkawa, wrapped in a blanket, is lifted to a
Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer following his
rescue on Sunday March 13. Picture: AP/Defense
Ministry

“But I turned back to pick up something at home, when I was washed away. I was rescued while I was hanging to the roof from my house.”

The government has said that at least 1,000 people are believed to have lost their lives in the disaster, and police estimate more than 215,000 people are huddled in emergency shelters.

However, the police chief of badly-hit Miyagi prefecture, which lies north of Fukushima, said that the death toll was certain to exceed 10,000 in his district alone.

Agence France-Presse

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ABC World News, Mar 14, 2011

A four-month-old baby girl is rescued in Ishinomaki, northern Japan, three days the initial tsunami

A Japan Self-Defense Force member reacts after rescuing a four-month-old
baby girl in Ishinomaki, northern Japan, Monday, March 14, 2011, three days
after a powerful earthquake-triggered tsunami hit the country’s east coast.
(AP Photo/The Yomiuri Shimbun, Hiroto Sekiguchi)

A beautiful, and much needed moment of joy.

Incredible swarms of fish form off coast of Acapulco: But was surge caused by tsunami thousands of miles away?

Daily Mail, By DAILY MAIL REPORTER, 12th March 2011

The shores of Acapulco's beaches were this weekend teeming with masses of fish packed so tightly they looked like an oil slick from above.

Thousands of sardines, anchovies, stripped bass and mackerel surged along the coast of the Mexican resort in an event believed to be linked to the devastating Japanese tsunami.

Delighted fishermen rushed out in wooden motor boats, abandoning their rods and nets and simply scooping the fish up with buckets.

A man photographs a shoal of sardines off the shore of Acapulco

Fishermen flocked to the water to take advantage of the surge

Some experts believe the phenomenon is directly related to
the Japanese tsunami

'There were about 20 or 30 fishermen and there were people who came with their kids to take advantage of it,' Carlos Morales said.

The fishermen attributed the strange phenomenon to the unusual currents unleashed by tsunami that followed the earthquake in Japan.

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Experts couldn't be sure.

'It would fall into that category where you would love to make the connection, but who knows?' said Rich Briggs, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

'Tsunamis can change local currents, but it's hard to make a firm connection.'

Fishermen in Acapulco say they have never see such large schools
of fish so close to the coast

The fish were so tightly packed they looked like an oil slick from above

Some bathers steered clear of the mysterious event and kept out of the water

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