The death toll continues to rise in Japan, with more than 12,000 people now missing or confirmed dead.
The National Police Agency said Wednesday that 4,255 people have been killed in 12 prefectures, while 8,194 people remain unaccounted for in six prefectures, Kyodo News reports.
But the news agency warned that the toll will "inevitably" climb higher, now that rescue crews are able to reach hard-hit coastal areas.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Wednesday said there have been many successful rescues, but the toll is still rising.
"We could rescue more than 26,000 people, but the number of those who died or are unaccounted for has exceeded 10,000," Kan said.
As the death toll rises, so does the workload for those attempting to perform autopsies, identify, bury or incinerate the thousands of bodies.
Kyodo News reported that the National Police Agency has authorized local police agencies to speed up the autopsy process using photographs, and in at least one prefecture volunteers may be used to liaison with the families of victims while officers examine the bodies.
Due to the volume of bodies, police in several of the hardest-hit prefectures have taken the unprecedented step of releasing the names, ages and addresses of victims, based on their belongings.
More than 430,000 people are spending their nights at 2,400 shelters in central and northeastern Japan, Kyodo News reported, with some suffering from food and water shortages.
The governments of those prefectures have requested the delivery of 32,800 temporary homes in order to offer more permanent shelter to those left homeless.
