They are in good condition, safe and health"
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - More than 400 Indonesians living in different parts of disaster-stricken Japan are going to be evacuated to Tokyo and eventually sent home, Indonesian ambassador to Japan Muhammad Lutfi said here Saturday.

"The Indonesian Embassy has set up a team for rescuing our people in Japan, especially those who are staying in Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi and Fukushima. An airplane has been sent to evacuate them to Tokyo," said Lutfi to ANTARA via telephone.

Lutfi said there were 496 Indonesian citizens who wee spread in the three areas located near the epicenter of the earthquake. They were 140 people in Iwate Prefecture, 274 people in Miyagi and 82 people in Fukushima City.

He also said from those Indonesian citizens, there were 95 heads of family who had been identified the condition.

"They are in good condition, safe and health. Now, they are staying in some refuges in there," he said.

He also said that the evacuation of Indonesian citizens in Japan to Indonesia would be done after there was sureness of their condition in Tokyo.

"We are now focusing on rescuing our people in the disaster areas to be brought to Tokyo, and after that we will discuss about the evacuation to Indonesia," he said.

The team from Indonesian Embassy was finding difficulties in entering Sendai, the biggest city near the epicenter, to evacuate people to Tokyo.

Meanwhile, Spokesman of Indonesian Foreign Ministry Michael Tene said that the team of Indonesian Embassy to Tokyo had sent assistance to Iwate Prefecture and Miyagi.

"The team has been sent to help Indonesian citizens there, while we are going to communicate with the Embassy in Tokyo via telephone or internet network," Tene said.

Not all of the 31,517 Indonesians known to be living in Japan have been impacted by a magnitude earthquake measuring 8.9 on Richter Scale which triggered to tsunami that hit Iwate Prefecture and Miyagi.

As quoted by Kyodo, the Japan National Police Agency said 1.000 were died or unaccounted as of 10.00 am of local time. While the death toll reached 287 in nine prefectures, including Tokyo, and 725 people are missing following the earthquake jolted Japan on Friday (March 11) at 2.46 pm of local time.(*)

KR-FNY/O001

Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011