Cape Town - Between 200 and 500 South Africans are said to have survived the worst earthquake and tsunami which shattered Japan last week.
The announcement was made by International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister Marius Fransman at a briefing in Cape Town today.
Fransman described the situation there as difficult, highlighting that the government, while it had limited resources, would offer its assistance to the Japanese government.
A SA Rescue team, comprising people from various municipalities and provinces and volunteers was set to be dispatched to Japan once due processes had been followed.
Fransman thanked the various organisations in the country who were contributing towards the humanitarian assistance needed there and called upon ordinary people to play their part.
The world has continued to offer humanitarian assistance after a massive earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale shuttered parts of that country on Friday, killing thousands, with just as many people still missing.
Meanwhile, Japan faces risks to human health from radiation released by damaged reactors at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
The United Nations has deployed a seven-member expert team to Japan to assist the disaster-stricken nation with its relief efforts, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
All of the seven experts are "highly experienced staff, experienced in the coordination of disaster management and the coordination of international search and rescue," said OCHA spokesperson Elizabeth Byrs.
Their mission is to support the Japanese effort in coordinating all the international search and rescue teams currently deployed in the country.
