[10 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake] Search for missing persons continues in various places

It has been 10 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake struck on the 11th.

A total of more than 2,500 people are still missing, and the search for missing persons continues in various places.

On the coast of Rikuzentakata, Iwate

Today, police are searching on the coast of Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, where more than 200 people are still missing.

The Great East Japan Earthquake killed 5,145 people in Iwate Prefecture, including disaster-related deaths, and 1111 people are still missing.

In Rikuzentakata City, where the whereabouts of 202 of them are unknown, about 60 police officers began searching for the missing on the sandy beach of Takata Matsubara, which will be open to the public from next month.

First, after offering silence to the victims, police officers used a rake to dig up the sand on the beach looking for clues to the missing person.

According to police, the search on this beach was the first in nine years.

Tomoya Tanaka, a first-year police officer assigned to the Ofunato Police Station Minato Police Station last year, said (19) "I became a police officer because I wanted to help the victims. Somehow I found a clue and waited for my family to return. I hope I can give it to you. "

In addition, at the time of the earthquake, police officer Seiya Tanaka of the Prefectural Police Department riot police, who worked at a police box in Kamaishi City and carried out search activities and transporting bodies, said (30) "With the passage of 10 years, the earthquake disaster I feel that the weather is progressing. I would like to continue activities that are close to the feelings of the victims and convey the sadness and lessons of the earthquake to young police officers. "

Even in the tsunami-stricken areas along the coast of Fukushima

According to the Fukushima Prefectural Police Headquarters, as of today, 1614 people were killed in the tsunami, excluding "disaster-related deaths," and 196 people are still missing.

Today, 10 years after the earthquake, a total of more than 500 people, including police, fire departments, and local government officials, were searched in the tsunami-stricken areas along the coast of the prefecture.

In Namie Town, where 31 of them are missing, about 80 people were looking for clues, such as removing driftwood on the coast.

After the earthquake, the Fukushima Prefectural Police Headquarters conducted a simultaneous search of the coastal area on the anniversary of the death of the 11th of every month. No clues have been found.

Keiichi Watanabe, an employee of Namie Town who participated in the search, said, "Many people are still missing, and 10 years is just a passing point. I want to find clues as much as possible."