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20 S’poreans in quake-hit Sendai: We’re not leaving

A light aircraft sits amongst the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Sendai. (AP photo)
A light aircraft sits amongst the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Sendai. (AP photo)

Twenty Singaporeans are still in Sendai, Japan, which is located 90 kilometres from the troubled Fukushima nuclear power reactors.

This is despite advice by Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), which called for all Singaporeans currently in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures to leave immediately.

The evacuation advice was also extended to the neighbouring prefectures such as Yamagata and Niigata, as well as in the Kanto region (Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi) -- that Singaporeans should consider leaving if there is no pressing reason to remain there.

A Singaporean in her early 30s who only wanted to be known as "Mary" told Channel NewsAsia that she is not worried as Sendai is not within the 20-kilometre exclusion zone established by Japanese authorities.

The Singapore Embassy has been in constant touch with her.

"They call me every day, at least once a day,(asking) 'Are you ok? Have you got food? Do you have the same address? Are you home now? Do you wish to leave? Do you wish for us to arrange something for you?'"

The public school English teacher added that the people in Sendai were calm and high radiation levels were not an immediate threat.

Mary admitted that she has been in constant contact with her family and friends, who are worried about her safety, but she wants to remain in Sendai because of her work.

"Most people have been saying, 'come home', and I'm saying 'I'm not coming home'. I would tell them 'it's ok, the media is exaggerating it'. I don't see anything to run away from. For many people, (they) like to play safe... when you're unsure, just move. But I've got work here," she said.

"The Japanese government is very conservative in their warnings. I think it's the international media who are more skeptical and more worried," she said.

The Singapore Embassy in Tokyo has been helping Singaporeans living within a 100km radius from the nuclear plants to move to safe locations.

MFA has also advised Singaporeans in Japan to pay close attention to and heed instructions of the Japanese government.

Meanwhile, a shipment of supplies, weighing 60 tonnes, was scheduled to have been sent to Miyagi Prefecture early Saturday.

The supplies consisted of blankets, mattresses, bottled water, water containers and foodstuff made up of contributions from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Singapore Red Cross Society.

A backlog at Narita airport caused the aid shipment from Singapore to be delayed over the past few days.

The SAF's contribution is worth about S$300,000. Further shipments from the SAF, the Singapore Red Cross Society and Mercy Relief will be despatched over the next few days.

See photos of the aftermath of the earthquake in Japan.

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