Don't give up! Japanese Emperor makes a rare TV appearance to urge his people on
[Wiped out: cars and lorries are strewn across what used to be an industrial area in the city of Sendai. Experts estimate it could be ten years before Japan's infrastructure recovers form the damage caused by the tsunami]
● Temperatures drop below 0C as 450,000 shelter in makeshift camps with little food or water
● Emperor Akihito makes rare television address urging his people not to give up
● More than 4,000 bodies found and another 7,000 missing assumed dead
The emperor of Japan today made a desperate plea for his countrymen not to give up as the devastation following the earthquake and tsunami worsened. The rubble-strewn wastelands of north-east Japan were covered by a blanket of snow today, hitting hopes of finding any more survivors five days after the devastating tsunami. Freezing temperatures also made things worse for millions of survivors - hundreds of thousands of whom are sheltering in makeshift camps in areas cut off from the outside world - as food and fuel run supplies low. Rescue crews battled rain that turned to snow as the mercury dipped below 0C, as others returned to where their homes once stood to try and salvage any possessions they can find.
More than 10,000 are thought to have died when the huge wave hit the country- rescuers have found around 4,000 bodies and 7,000 victims are still missing. However the death toll could still rise much higher than that.