• No safe haven: Koganji Temple in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, lies in ruins after being devastated by a tsunami on March 11. The temple had been designated as an evacuation site, but it was not far enough from the coast to escape the powerful waves. | KYODO
    No safe haven: Koganji Temple in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, lies in ruins after being devastated by a tsunami on March 11. The temple had been designated as an evacuation site, but it was not far enough from the coast to escape the powerful waves. | KYODO

  • Kyodo

  • SHARE

More than 100 evacuation sites designated by local governments were swept away or inundated by the tsunami triggered by the March 11 earthquake just off the Tohoku region’s coast, according to a tally compiled by Kyodo News.

Many people are thought to have lost their lives after fleeing to those sites, believing they would be safe, but no data have so far been collected on the death toll at those places.

In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

SUBSCRIBE NOW

PHOTO GALLERY (CLICK TO ENLARGE)