Dennis RomeroThe L.A. County Fire Department-based urban rescue team in Japan has recovered six bodies this week near their base in Ofunatu City in Japan, Fox 11 News reports.
The urban search and rescue squad called California Task Force 2, known in Japan as USA 2, are using specially trained dogs to sniff out tsunami survivors and the deceased along the coast.
The county fire department reported that the 74-member team is …
… working in bitter cold, with “'2-3' of snow on the ground.”
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the rescuers and their retriever breeds were staying overnight in a school gymnasium warmed by space heaters.
California Task Force 2 in Japan.; Credit: Associated Press
While Japan's worries have turned from quake and tsunami victims to its ailing nuclear reactors, Fox 11 says the firefighters are out of harm's way — at more than 100 miles from the plants — for now.
L.A. County firefighters work in Japan.; Credit: Associated Press
The U.S. Ambassador to Japan on Wednesday warned Americans staying within 50 miles of Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant to evacuate or stay indoors.
The official quake and tsunami death toll was put at 5,178 late Wednesday.
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