Japan marks 6 months since tsunami

A girl holds a "no nukes" placard during an anti-nuclear demonstration in Tokyo yesterday 2011.Photo: AFP

The people of Japan fell silent in prayer yesterday, six months after an earthquake and tsunami left 20,000 dead or missing and sparked a nuclear crisis on the country's Pacific coast.
At 2:46 pm the eerie wail of warning sirens rang out, marking exactly six months since the 9.0-magnitude quake struck offshore, unleashing towering waves which swallowed ships, sea walls, vehicles and whole communities.
In towns and villages along the devastated coast, mourners gathered to remember the dead, while in Tokyo anti-nuclear rallies were held over the Fukushima crisis -- the worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
In the town of Minamisanriku, where 900 people were killed and 60 percent of the buildings were destroyed, about 2,000 people dressed in black gathered at a public gymnasium to observe a moment's silence.
The disaster crippled cooling systems and sparked meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, some 220 kilometres (138 miles) northeast of Tokyo, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate, still with no idea when they can return home.
A 600-kilometre (375-mile) stretch of the scenic northeast coast was left devastated by the disaster, with 23 million tonnes of debris still in need of disposal -- and 4,100 people yet to be accounted for.