Australian search and rescue workers in Japan are bracing themselves for a death toll and deteriorating conditions far worse than first believed.
The 76-member Australian Urban Search and Rescue team has landed at a northern Japan military base and will meet with New Zealand rescuers before making their way into the quake and tsunami zone.
They hope to make their way to devastated areas north of the flattened city of Sendai, but the going promises to be tough.
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Australian rescue Rob McNeil told the Nine Network he hoped to get heavy equipment within 20km of their target, with small vehicles up to 5km from the area and the rest of the going on foot.
"I must say the information we are getting now is worse than we thought when we were heading up here.
"At the moment, were we are heading, we've got 80 dead and up to 10,500 missing.
"Over the next five days our weather forecast is we will be experiencing temperatures from seven (Celsius) to minus three and there is a 50 per cent chance of snow and 30 per cent chance of rain which will further impact on our work and the weather up
there."
