Death toll rises, stocks plunge, foreigners flee as nuclear crisis escalates

By Chico Harlan,
WashPost
Tuesday, March 15, 6:03 PM

TOKYO — With Japan in the throes of a three-pronged disaster, foreigners began fleeing the country in larger numbers Tuesday, as millions of people endured another frigid night with little food, water or heat.

The Chinese government announced it was organizing an evacuation of its citizens from northeastern Japan, which has been ravaged by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake — elevated from 8.9 — and a devastating tsunami, followed by a mounting nuclear disaster at a major power station 150 miles north of Tokyo.

The United States urged Americans to avoid travel to Japan, Austria moved its embassy from Tokyo to Osaka, and Lufthansa diverted its two daily Tokyo-bound flights to other Japanese cities, the Associated Press reported.