Then you of all people shouldn't be falling hook line and sinker for this without credible sources.
Would one of your reporters or producers be allowed to go live with a fantastic story like this based on a conversation a guy supposedly had with a friend?
Nope, but I've never known My Favorite Headache to be a less-than credible poster, and the evidence incrementally is that there is a massive loss of life. Even in the mainstream media, which you seem to glorify, there have been numerous reports that relief crews have thus far been ignoring the dead in favor of rescuing the living. In some areas, the coastline moved two miles inland, and some smaller towns have been virtually removed from the map. I think you'll see a pretty stunning death toll once the focus shifts from rescuing the living to recovering the dead.