ID :
166872
Wed, 03/09/2011 - 16:12
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/166872
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Deaths of 2 more Japanese confirmed in N.Z. quake
TOKYO (Kyodo) - The Japanese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it has confirmed the deaths of two more Japanese caused by the powerful earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, after the first case confirmed Sunday among 28 missing Japanese.
The death toll from the Feb. 22 quake stands at 166 as of Tuesday, and is expected to finally reach about 200.
Asuka Tsuchihashi, 28, a nurse who hails from Wakayama Prefecture, and Kyoko Kawahata, 20, a student at Nara Women's University who comes from Toyama Prefecture, have been confirmed dead, while the other 25 Japanese remain unaccounted for, according to the ministry.
The bodies of Tsuchihashi and Kawahata were identified from their dental records and personal belongings, the ministry said, adding Kawahata had her school identification card.
Meanwhile, a brother of Megumi Horita, 19, a student at the language school from the city of Toyama, told reporters Wednesday that his father called him from New Zealand and said Horita's death had been confirmed.
But the foreign ministry declined to respond to media inquiries about the reported death, while an official of the municipal government of Toyama told a press conference at 5 p.m. it has not recognized her death.
Tsuchihashi and Kawahata were among the 28 Japanese, including 12 students from the Toyama language school, who are believed to have fallen victim when the six-story Canterbury TV building which houses King's Education language school collapsed in the quake.
According to Japanese officials in Christchurch, the New Zealand government told them on Monday night that it had identified Tsuchihashi's body and on Tuesday night that Kawahata's body had been confirmed.
The officials also said family members of Yoshiko Hirauchi, 61, who was the first Japanese confirmed dead in the quake, saw her body in the South Island city, adding that they are making arrangements to take the body to Japan.
The death toll from the Feb. 22 quake stands at 166 as of Tuesday, and is expected to finally reach about 200.
Asuka Tsuchihashi, 28, a nurse who hails from Wakayama Prefecture, and Kyoko Kawahata, 20, a student at Nara Women's University who comes from Toyama Prefecture, have been confirmed dead, while the other 25 Japanese remain unaccounted for, according to the ministry.
The bodies of Tsuchihashi and Kawahata were identified from their dental records and personal belongings, the ministry said, adding Kawahata had her school identification card.
Meanwhile, a brother of Megumi Horita, 19, a student at the language school from the city of Toyama, told reporters Wednesday that his father called him from New Zealand and said Horita's death had been confirmed.
But the foreign ministry declined to respond to media inquiries about the reported death, while an official of the municipal government of Toyama told a press conference at 5 p.m. it has not recognized her death.
Tsuchihashi and Kawahata were among the 28 Japanese, including 12 students from the Toyama language school, who are believed to have fallen victim when the six-story Canterbury TV building which houses King's Education language school collapsed in the quake.
According to Japanese officials in Christchurch, the New Zealand government told them on Monday night that it had identified Tsuchihashi's body and on Tuesday night that Kawahata's body had been confirmed.
The officials also said family members of Yoshiko Hirauchi, 61, who was the first Japanese confirmed dead in the quake, saw her body in the South Island city, adding that they are making arrangements to take the body to Japan.
