One week after Japan was rocked by a powerful earthquake and tsunami, the toll from the twin disasters has soared to more than 7,200 people dead and 10,900 missing.

According to the National Police Agency on Saturday, 7,197 people are now confirmed dead, and 10,905 are still missing -- for a total of 18,102.

The still-rising number represents the deadliest incident in Japan since the end of the Second World War in 1945.

To mark the one week milestone on Friday, evacuees, rescuers and officials in the hard-hit prefectures of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima observed a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. local time -- exactly one week after the magnitude-9 quake hit northeastern and eastern Japan.

Kyodo News Agency reported that some 90,000 rescue workers have managed to reach about 26,000 survivors.

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National broadcaster NHK reported that a young man was pulled alive from the rubble of his home in Kesennuma city in Miyagi prefecture, which was one of the hardest-hit regions.

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