Six Israelis are still unaccounted for in the aftermath of an 8.9-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Japan on March 11.

According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Andy David, the devastation that swept away much of a 1,300-mile stretch of Japan's coastline also destroyed its communication infrastructure. The lack of a communication system may have made it impossible for the five Israeli businesspeople and a tourist to call home, David said.

“We don't categorize them as being missing,” David told Israel National News. “There is a lack of contact. That is all, at this point.”

Friday's reports were of 25 unaccounted for. As of Saturday night, 20 Israelis were still unaccounted for. But the figure was deceptive, said David, because of the difficulty in reaching people after a natural disaster. Indeed, within 24 hours the number of those unaccounted for had dropped to six.

“Generally, we call whoever we have on the list, people who have voluntarily registered their presence in the country with our embassy,” he explained. “Then we also get calls from concerned relatives and friends who tell us of their loved ones traveling in the country [and] who have not contacted them yet. We do what we can to track them down.

“Sometimes they call us back when those loved ones managed to reach them, and sometimes not. If we have heard nothing, we call them back in a few hours to see if there's an update either way, which often there is, and they have simply forgotten to let us know. In the case of these six individuals, however, they have not checked in, and their families have not managed to reach them yet. Neither have we.”

There are several hundred Israelis who have lived for an extended period in Japan, and some 300 to 400 others currently traveling on business and as tourists. All have since been accounted for.

Aftershocks Continuing Closer to Tokyo
Four million buildings are still without power, and fires still burned in Tokyo hours after the city had stopped shaking. Basic utilities are not available, including gas, heat, water, phone service and electricity. Aftershocks continue to rattle the country, some nearly as severe as the earthquake that devastated Christchurch, New Zealand last month.

One of the strongest to hit the country on Sunday was a 6.2-magnitude temblor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and was centered off the eastern coast. However, this aftershock was especially worrisome in that it was closer to Tokyo than the original quake that sparked the tragic tsunami.

Dozens of aftershocks on Friday measured as high as 7.9 magnitude, but by Sunday they had "calmed" to a peak of 6.4 magnitude temblors. The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded more than 50 aftershocks by Sunday afternoon.

So far the official death toll has reached 763, but local media reports placed the figure closer to 1,300 victims, with thousands more unaccounted for. Hundreds of bodies were found in the coastal city of Sedai.

8,000 times Stronger than Christchurch Quake
The worst to hit Japan in 140 years, Friday's temblor was the fifth largest quake in the world since 1900.

Worse, however, was the tsunami that followed. Entire villages along Japan's northern Pacific coast were swept underneath and sucked away in the 23-foot wall of water that followed the temblor.

Cars, ships and buildings were all carried out to sea in the tsunami that took more than seven hours to rush across to Hawaii, where it also battered the shoreline. Two hours later, the massive waves had reached all the way to Los Angeles, where boats in the marina were rocked, and in some cases, capsized.

Scientists reported that the quake moved the main island of Japan, Honshu, eight feet and tore open 10,000 square miles of the Earth's crust – about the size of the state of New Jersey – with a force equal to that of 300,000 Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs.

It even slightly shook up cities around the world, with tremors registering on seismographs as far away as New York and London. In fact, the force of the quake slightly warped the shape of the planet, accelerating the speed of the Earth's orbit by a microsecond, and making the day a tiny bit shorter, ABC News reported.

According to seismologists quoted by the BBC, it was also nearly 8,000 times stronger than the quake that nearly destroyed Christchurch, New Zealand last month.

Despite Japan's famous early-warning tsunami alert system and the best efforts of officials and residents, hundreds, and perhaps thousands, have died. Many more are still listed as missing.

Google People Search for Japan
The worldwide Google Internet search engine has responded to the tragedy by creating a Person Finder: 2011 Japan Earthquake site that provides a platform for those who either have information about someone, or who are looking for someone caught in the tsunami.

Racing to Prevent Nuclear Meltdowns

Meanwhile, Japanese scientists are racing the clock to get two “hot” nuclear reactors under control, and maintaining a state of alert over three others as well.

Scientists flooded the overheated reactor core with sea water at the Fukushima Daiichi facility over the weekend in a desperate bid to prevent a meltdown. Still, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano admitted that it was “highly possible” that a partial meltdown had taken place.

“Because it's inside the reactor, we cannot directly check it but we are taking measures on the assumption of the possible partial meltdown,” he told The Associated Press.

Cooling systems have so far failed at six of the reactors at two Fukushima nuclear plants, including one reactor that exploded. Some 51,000 residents were ordered to evacuate from a 12-mile (20-kilometer) radius around the facility.

Israel Offers Aid, No Response Yet
Israel was the first country to offer assistance, with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu contacting the Japanese ambassador within an hour after the quake struck his country.

The first group of Israeli humanitarian aid experts was prepared and ready to leave within hours, but has not yet received a green light to go.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu delivered a message to the Japanese government, saying that the people of Israel express their deep sorrow over the tragedy in Japan and that he will work to provide any help that will be required. The Japanese ambassador expressed his gratitude and said that he will convey the message to his government,” said the Prime Minister's Office in a statement.

“Let's not forget this is a very organized country,” reminded Foreign Ministry spokesman Andy David. “We have made the offer, and we will wait. We are meanwhile trying to understand exactly what their needs are. Communications are still very difficult.

“We are very saddened by the events there, and we are waiting to assist with anything they may need.”