The number of dead and missing after Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami has reached 27 thousand, the NHK TV channel reported on Thursday.
Police say the death toll, which now stands at 9,811 people, could exceed 18,000.
The twin disaster that rocked Japan on March 11 triggered a number of explosions at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, spreading fears of massive radioactive contamination.
Radioactive pollution around the plant remains high with radioactive iodine in seawater at 147 times the safety limit.
Two workers at the plant have been hospitalized after being exposed to high levels of radiation, Kyodo news agency reported earlier on Thursday.
MOSCOW, March 24 (RIA Novosti)
