Japanese recovery workers have been forced to temporarily abandon 1000 dead bodies within the radioactive danger zone surrounding the Fukushima nuclear plant, Kyodo News reports. Authorities fear the corpses, steeped in radiation, could spread harmful exposure if moved.
Even if carefully transported from where they died during the quake and subsequent tsunami, the bodies are potentially enormous liabilities – cremating then could spread radioactive ash, while burying them could contaminate surrounding soil. So for now, they’ll lie there, immobile, reminders of a crisis that needs no reminder. [Kyodo]