The death count in Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami has climbed to 9,487 people, NHK reported citing the country's police on March 23.

According to Japanese police, another 15,617 still remain unaccounted for.

Some 360,000 people have been evacuated from the disaster zone and accommodated in temporary refuge centers across the country, according to RIA Novosti.

The deadly quake and tsunami rocked Japan on March 11. A series of aftershocks followed. The disaster triggered a number of explosions at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, spreading fears of massive radioactive contamination.