video transcript

A panoramic view of one neighbourhood along Japan's northeast coast -- utter devastation as far as the eye can see. Complete neighborhoods in towns like Rikuzentakata have been flattened after the country's worst earthquake and tsunami hit last Friday. Personal items are mixed in with debris making their recovery nearly impossible.... Crude flags mark the location of bodies found. In Kuji, more devastation. Residents distraught and worried are voicing their frustrations. (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 52-YEAR-OLD LOCAL RESIDENT, EMIKO OHTA, SAYING: "There are old ladies coming and going around this dangerous area. They (the local government) are not cordoning anything off, or telling us what to do next. So they are basically ignoring us. And they are basically telling us to clean up on our own. Nobody is coming here. They are just coming to take photos and that's about it." Fatalities from the disaster are expected now to reach over 10 thousand. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami are being called the country's worst crisis since World War Two. Julie Noce, Reuters