Kenyans evacuated in Japan nuclear scare

The first group of 15 Kenyans evacuated from Japan is expected to arrive in Nairobi on Saturday morning as the government temporarily closed its embassy in the tsunami-ravaged country.

The closure came amid growing fears of deadly radiation levels from a nuclear plant destroyed by the earthquake.

Mission staff and their families, expected home tomorrow, joined a rush of foreigners leaving Japan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement: “Due to the prevailing circumstances the Kenya mission in Tokyo will close temporarily from 18th March 2011 until further notice.”

The government said the situation had gone from bad to worse and radiation particles from the nuclear plant were being blown beyond designated areas.

“Due to the greater damage and potential fallout from the reactor, the mission has embarked on immediate evacuation of mission staff plus their families from Japan,” the statement said.

The government said that since the tsunami, the mission had been in touch with the 231 Kenyans living in Japan and had confirmed their safety.

On Monday, Kenyan athlete Dorcas Obare, who was thought to have disappeared in the tsunami, was found.

However, the mission has issued several measures it wants the residents to observe in a bid to safeguard their lives.

“Residents should ensure they observe the advice provided by the authorities especially in the Fukushima area by observing the set evacuation zones.

“They should also avoid all travel to north eastern Japan and Tokyo,” it said.

The government said Kenyans in Japan should leave to avoid the lethal consequences of exposing themselves to high radiation levels.

“The mission has also advised Kenyans in Japan to consider leaving the country as high radiation levels being experienced could be detrimental to human health,” the statement said.

The Finnish government said on Friday it was moving its embassy out of Tokyo to Hiroshima as a precaution against “uncertain” security in the capital city.

Germany and Austria had already made the same decision.

Airline tickets sold out in Tokyo and private jet firms were swamped with bookings on Thursday as foreigners scrambled to leave after more governments advised their citizens to flee.

With fears escalating, Britain and Australia were among the nations advising citizens to leave Tokyo, while the United States chartered special flights.

The well-heeled were taking drastic measures as Japanese engineers battled to prevent a major radiation leak from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, located 250 kilometres northeast of the capital.

Iris Riesen, managing director of Jet Aviation Hong Kong, said the Chinese territory’s private jet firms had seen a huge jump in requests from people desperate to get out of Japan quickly.

“There has been high, high demand — we’ve been flooded with requests,” she told AFP, adding that a return flight between Hong Kong and Japan costs between $90,000 and $140,000 depending on the size of the plane.

Riesen said the firm only had one 14-seat G550 jet available, while it manages 17 other planes for private owners, some of whom have ordered flights for themselves or friends to get out of Japan.

As many expatriates headed to other Asian capitals, some said they were considering leaving the region altogether.

“I know we’re a great distance from the nuclear plant and I don’t feel immediately threatened, but I’d rather be safe than sorry,” said Jeanette Hoch, a Swedish mother-of-two who moved to Hong Kong last year.