OFUNATO – Thick snow covered the wreckage littering quake-hit Japan on Thursday, all but extinguishing hopes of finding anyone alive in the debris and deepening danger and misery for survivors. A cold snap brought heavy blizzards over the country’s northeast overnight, covering the tsunami-razed region in deep snow and vital highways in treacherous black ice. Half a million evacuees struggled to stay warm as rescuers said their efforts to help the devastated population were at risk, almost a week after the 9.0 magnitude quake and massive tsunami hit. “We are concerned about ice on the roads,” US rescuer Dave Stone told AFP in the shattered town of Ofunato. “The other thing we are worried about is the weight of snow on a building that has been compromised.”
Already labouring under sweeping power, gas and water shortages and with limited communication with the outside world, the devastated northeast now faces the possibility of being cut off from key supply links by the weather. Visibility had dropped considerably and some rescue teams were pulling back Thursday, fearing they would be unable to get back to their bases because of the snow and ice. The United Nations said the snow, rain and “extraordinarily cold weather” had deepened the nation’s emergency and were complicating relief efforts that were already hampered by aftershocks. “Concerns are for those who have still not been reached by rescue workers as well as half a million people now living in evacuation centres,” the UN said.
