Japan: Death rate among handicapped people in tsunami 2.5-fold larger

News is <Kyodonews>: Death rate among handicapped people in tsunami 2.5-fold larger

The death rate among handicapped people living in coastal areas of Miyagi Prefecture when the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster struck was 2.5 times higher than the overall average for residents, a support group for them said Monday.

Most of the handicapped victims are believed to have failed to escape from the tsunami, according to the Japan Disability Forum Miyagi.

The survey was conducted in 13 coastal municipalities in Miyagi. Sendai and Watari were excluded from the survey.

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