Tokyo, March 15 (IANS) Japan's National Police Agency said 2,414 deaths had been confirmed by 8.00 a.m. Tuesday, after Friday's catastrophic earthquake and ensuing tsunami, according to Xinhua.
The magnitude-9 earthquake unleashed a massive wave that devastated large swathes of coastal land. The interior ministry said a total of 72,945 buildings were destroyed.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan said 15,000 people had been rescued so far.
In the town of Onagawa alone, one of the areas hardest-hit in the disaster, more than 1,000 bodies had been recovered Monday, local police chief Naoto Takeuchi said.
The official body count countrywide stood at 1,886 Monday, Kyodo News agency reported.